New Beginnings
by Air-and-water123
Summary: Katara Aqua becomes homeless after her ex-husband Jet kicks her out after finding out that she was pregnant. A year later, a young detective finds her and little Kya homeless and offers to help turn their lives around. What will happen when Katara starts to do something she swore she would never do again? Will she be able to stop herself from falling in love? Kataang. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1: New Hope

Chapter 1: New Hope

**Hey guys! I just want to say real quick that I didn't come up with the idea for this story. I saw it somewhere on here months ago and it keeps pestering my mind since that story only made it one chapter in before the author seemingly abandoned it, as they hadn't written on it again for years. If said author would like to take credit for the idea of this story as you read it, then let me know either through PM or as a review and I'll make sure that you receive the credit you deserve for it. Anyway, the beginning of this chapter is going to be a lot like the story I mentioned above, but after that it will become my own. It's going to start off sad, but as the story progresses it will get better. Thanks to those of you who keep up with my stories and I hope you guys enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

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It was a quiet November night as the people started going home, not knowing what it was like to not have one. A young lady walked in to the gas station and went to the bathroom, cradling her young one in her arms, scared to death of letting her go. She was the only thing she had left ever since her ex-husband Jet tossed her out on the street. Now he was at home with women and she was the one suffering. It had all started when she had discovered him cheating. Her heart had broken that day, but she didn't have any other means to take care of her future daughter, so she stuck with him. That is, until he found out about the pregnancy and kicked her out a year ago, leaving her to fend for herself. She would have tried to get in contact with her family, but she had no money nor a phone, so she was stuck just barely scraping by and begging for whatever money she could get. Not even the hospital where she had gone for help would let her stay for long. They were nice enough to waive her fees, but she had hoped they might let her stay until she could get back up on her feet. Katara wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head. _No point in being sad now,_ she thought. _Kya needs you. Don't let her down._ Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the sink and unwrapped her so that she could see her face. "Hi honey," she cooed as the baby babbled. "It's alright. We're just going to get you cleaned up, okay?" Little Kya smiled, making Katara's heart melt and started running some warm water for her daughter. "This might tickle, so be careful honey," Katara warned as she took some soap and put it on her child. The serene look on her daughter's face was all she really needed to keep going. As long as she was okay, Katara would be okay. After a few minutes of scrubbing, she rinsed her off gently and dried her off with some paper towels. Satisfied with her work, she wrapped her up again and walked over to the dollar section of the gas station. Picking out some beef jerky with some water bottles, she paid for them and walked out and around to the corner of the building where she had been living behind a dumpster for the last couple of weeks. She hadn't been able to stay in any place for long due to people telling her to go somewhere else, so she was always on the move. Setting her stuff down, she laid her daughter on the makeshift bed of cardboard boxes and wrapped a blanket over her, ensuring that she would stay warm. Katara sat down and opened up her jerky, savoring how good it tasted on her tongue, not knowing when she would be able to eat next. There was no money left, and she wasn't sure if anyone would give her any more money. After finishing it and drinking some water, she laid down next to her Kya and smiled, feeling at peace knowing that her daughter was alive and well. Feeling sleep overcome her, her eyes slowly drifted closed, listening to the sound of cars passing by. Before she could actually fall asleep, her eyes shot open as she heard footsteps coming from down the alley. Feeling her motherly instincts take over, she grabbed Kya and squeezed her tightly, hoping whoever it was wouldn't notice them. The footsteps came closer and closer until she could see black men's boots attached to a pair of jeans. Looking up slightly, she saw a young man in a leather jacket and a dark blue button-up shirt with short, dark brown hair. She remained silent for a moment, hoping he would walk right by. Unfortunately for her, he seemed to feel her presence and looked around until he saw her. Worry came over his face as he walked over and crouched down next to her. "Miss? Is everything alright?" he asked in concern.

Katara was silent for a moment while avoiding his eyes, not really wanting to talk. "Yes, I'm fine," she finally said lowly. "Now you can continue on with your night. Or are you here to make me find a new place to live too?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, no. I'm not here to do that. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

"Because I find this fun," Katara responded sarcastically. "Sorry to break it to you, but not everyone has a home. Now will you please leave me alone?"

The man was silent for a moment as he looked between her and the baby in her arms. "How long have you been here?" he questioned carefully.

Katara sighed and rolled her eyes. "I've been here for two weeks, but if you mean how long I've been homeless, it's been about a year. Thanks for reminding me. Now would you please leave me alone?" she tried her best not to snap at him.

Another moment of silence passed by before he reached out and squeezed her arm softly, taking her by surprise. "How would you like to stay at my place? We could get you an actual room and some food and water so neither you nor your baby is out here in the cold."

She was taken by surprise. This was the last thing she would have expected to happen, but she knew what she would have to do if she agreed to it, and she wasn't that desperate. "No thank you," she said curtly. "I think I'll stay out here if you don't mind."

"Miss, with all due respect, I can't just stand by and watch you and your daughter live out here in the cold," the man refused politely. "I know you don't know me well, but I promise, I'm not a bad guy. We'll get you a nice warm room to sleep in, I'll get you whatever you need for your baby and then we'll work on getting you a job and whatever else you might need until you're ready to go out on your own. I can't and won't just let you guys continue to stay out here. Especially when it's about to snow outside."

Katara scoffed, "It's not about to-" A flake of snow landed on her nose as she spoke, silencing her into submission. The cold finally got to her and she knew that if she wanted her daughter to be alright, they would need to find proper shelter. With a long sigh, she slowly nodded. "Okay… we'll go with you."

The man smiled and offered a hand to her. "Come on. We'll go get you some nice clothes and a shower so you can sleep peacefully."

Katara reluctantly took it while holding Kya with her arm, not daring to let go. Her breath caught in her throat as she came face to face with the stranger. _Hello gorgeous…_ she thought a little dreamily before quickly snapping out of it. _Bad Kat! You're not exactly looking for a date anyway, so remember that!_ Shaking her head at herself, she cleared her throat. "Thank you, sir."

He smiled warmly at her, unconsciously making her smile a little back as he shook her hand. "I suppose I should tell you my name. I'm Aang, Aang White."

"Katara Aqua," Katara responded somewhat politely, still not really trusting this man. "Now, I'm guessing you have a car to get us to your place?"

"Of course," Aang laughed, making Katara smile against her will. His laugh was infectious, and it took everything in her not to laugh with him. "If you'll just follow me?" Katara followed him as he walked back the way he came out to a parking lot where there were no other cars than an expensive-looking Rolls Royce. She became surprised when he clicked a button on his keys and it unlocked.

Katara looked at him in amazement. "What, are you rich or something?"

He laughed again and shrugged. "Money-wise, yes. But I don't consider having money makes someone rich."

"Then what do you think makes someone rich?" Katara wondered as Aang opened the door for her. She blushed, not used to having a gentleman do anything like that for her, but she sat down and looked at him as he smiled at her.

"Family," he told her honestly. "One needs family to be truly rich in life. Money can't buy you happiness, and it can't bring back your loved ones," he sighed a little. Seeing the look on her face, he shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Let's just get going. We'll have you home and cleaned up before you know it." Shutting the door softly, he walked over to the other side and started it up, exiting the parking lot and driving away.

"So," Katara started as she checked on her daughter, "What do you do for a living? It must be something along the lines of owning a business if you have a Rolls Royce."

He smiled a little as he glanced at her. "I _do_ own a business, but it's not my job. My parents owned a jewelry company that did pretty well before it was passed down to me. Now I let someone else run it while I take my share of the profits."

"What's the company called?" Katara wondered.

"White's Jewelry," Aang said as he took a turn.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You own White's Jewelry?" He nodded. "Wow. Your company is one of the most respected jewelry companies in the world."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Aang agreed. "I made sure that whoever's running it would actually do good by the company and its employees, so it should be in tip-top shape. Otherwise I'll look until I find someone who knows how to properly run a business."

Katara couldn't help but admire him a little. Here he was, a man who owned one of the most profitable businesses in the world and was still very humble. Men like him were rare to find in the world today. "Well no wonder you own a Rolls Royce, then," she laughed.

Aang smiled. "Yeah, but I wasn't the one who picked this out," he told her honestly, catching her by surprise.

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"This was my parents car before they died," he explained as he entered a neighborhood full of rich-looking houses. "I'm not the flashy kind of guy, but I keep their car and their house so I can feel like they're with me."

Katara looked down at her neck, grabbing her necklace gently as she traced over the symbol with her thumb. "I know what you mean," she murmured as he looked at her curiously. Before they could continue with their conversation, Aang pulled into his driveway, making Katara's jaw drop. He had the largest house in the neighborhood. It was the most beautiful house she had ever seen. It was painted a nice marble white with black trim around it with plenty of windows, indicating it had plenty of rooms for guests. A large fountain held a pathway that led through a small sitting area to a huge wooden door. The pathway was lit up with unique looking lamps, each one in the shape of a different symbol. "Hello?" Snapping out of her daze, she quickly looked over to see Aang holding the door for her again. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I've just never seen a more beautiful house before," she admitted.

He just laughed and held out a hand for her. "It's quite alright, Miss Katara. I know it takes some time to get used to, but I'm sure you will. Now how about we go inside so we can get you some food and water and some sleep?" She nodded with a small smile and took his hand, ignoring the tingling feeling she got whenever she felt contact between them. Following him slowly, they made their way up to the door where Aang quickly unlocked it with a key. Katara couldn't help but gasp as he opened the door, taking it all in at once. The inside of the house was just as beautiful, if not more beautiful, than the outside. It was huge, easily making it the biggest entrance she had ever seen. "Come on in," Aang invited with a smile. Stepping inside, Katara looked around until her eyes fell on what she assumed was the living room. There were a few leather couches and a leather recliner sitting in front of a large table that took up half of the room. A seventy inch tv hung on the wall with a fireplace below it, crackling with a still burning fire.

"Wow," she breathed. "This place is amazing."

Aang just shrugged as he took off his jacket and put it on his coat hanger. "If you say so. I'd prefer to have a house that doesn't feel so empty, but you take what you can get I guess." Katara looked at him as if he was crazy, but he just smiled, making her smile back for a second until she remembered herself.

"So, you live here by yourself?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"I do," Aang agreed as he lead his way to the kitchen. As they walked in, a woman came from another room with a pie in her hands.

"Mr. White!" she greeted pleasantly. "I see you're back in time for-" she cut herself off when she noticed Katara. "Who is this?" she asked with a little jealousy.

"Ty Lee, this is Miss Aqua," Aang gestured to her with a smile. "She's in need of a place to stay until she can get back up on her feet, so until then she'll be staying here. You don't mind cooking for one- I mean two more, do you?"

"Of course not!" she lied through her teeth. "It would be a pleasure!"

Aang smiled and looked to Katara. "Great! Would you like anything right now? Ty Lee's the best chef in the city, so she can make you whatever you would like."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "_Anything_?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded with his smile intact. "Um, do you happen to know how to make sea prunes by chance?"

"Of course I do!" Ty Lee said cheerily, doing her best not to be angry with Katara. "I'll have them right up for you!" Walking away quickly, Aang rubbed his head in confusion.

"Well that was odd," Aang thought aloud.

"What was odd?" Katara asked.

Aang shrugged and walked over to the table, pulling out a chair for her which she sat down with a blush. "She's usually cheery, but there was something… _fake_ about her demeanor. I wonder why that was?" he asked himself as he sat down across from her. Katara laughed a little, making him raise an eyebrow. "What?"

She just smiled and waved him off. "It's nothing. If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not sure you ever will." Still confused, he was about to go more into it as Ty Lee came in and dropped off a steaming plate of sea prunes.

"Here you go!" she said happily, her little fit appearing to have gone with the wind. "I hope it tastes just as you want it!"

Katara smiled and nodded to her. "Thank you, I appreciate it." Ty Lee smiled and walked away until she looked back from around the corner and glared at her, making her nervous. _What did I do to her? It's not like I'm his girlfriend or anything,_ she thought worriedly. Shaking her head, she turned back to see Aang digging into the pie that Ty Lee had left out. Katara couldn't help but giggle at his expression when he took out a piece and it crumbled before his eyes into mush onto his plate. "Best chef in the city, huh?" she teased as she set Kya down in her lap.

Aang just shrugged with a laugh. "I said she was the best _chef_, not the best baker," he responded with a grin. She just laughed and dug into her sea prunes, her eyes widening at how good they tasted.

"These are amazing!" she exclaimed with a mouthful, much to her embarrassment.

"I'm glad you like them. I told you she's the best chef in the city," he chuckled as he ate some of his mush. They ate their meals in a slightly awkward silence, but not entirely awkward. The kind of awkward of two people who don't know each other but will as time passes. "So," he started as he wiped his chin clean, "If I may ask, how did you become homeless? It pains me to see such a pretty young lady out on the streets with a kid so young."

Katara blushed a little from his compliment, but became sad at remembering how it had all started. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not go into detail. Let's just say that my ex-husband kicked me out when he found out I was pregnant."

Aang's eyes widened in surprise, then settled on something she never thought she would see in his eyes: Anger. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and looked up at her, but not with pity as she expected him to. His eyes were filled with compassion and understanding with a hint of the anger that had filled his beautiful gray orbs. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Miss Aqua. If it helps at all, whoever he was made a huge mistake. You and your daughter are very beautiful, so he had no idea what he was missing out on. May I ask what her name is?"

She smiled a little and looked down to her daughter. "Her name is Kya. Named after my mother who died at an early point in my life."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Aang covered her hand with his, making her blush again. "I understand what you feel though. My parents died when I was around ten years old. They're the reason that I chose to do my job."

"Oh yeah, I didn't think to ask what your job actually was," she said. "Why do you have a job if you're rich anyway?"

He just shrugged as he cleaned up his little mess. "It gives me something to do and a sense of fulfillment." He paused and looked down at his plate sadly. "And it helps me help others who were in my situation before it went bad."

She raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"My parents were killed when I was younger," he explained with a faraway look in his eyes. "Maybe if I had been older and more able, then maybe I could have saved them. But I wasn't, and now they're dead."

Katara put her hand on his, causing him to blush in return. "It wasn't your fault, Aang. How could you do anything when you were ten years old? No one would blame you for not being able to do anything, least of all your parents," she told him gently, trying to ease the pain searing in his eyes.

He looked at her gratefully. "Thank you, Katara. Since I couldn't be there to help them then, I've vowed to dedicate my life helping others so no one else would have to go through what I had to go through. And I found the perfect way to do that: By becoming a detective."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You're a detective?" He nodded. "If you're a detective, then what were you doing walking down an alley?"

"I was following up on a lead that someone gave me," he explained. "There was an anonymous tip that someone was smuggling weapons in that area, but the only thing I found was you. Unless you were the one smuggling weapons," he joked.

Katara just laughed, making him smile. He loved the sound of her laugh. "No, no. I barely had enough money to get myself food, let alone weapons."

Aang smiled sadly. "Well, you don't have to worry about it now. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to. I'm the only one who lives here anyway, so it'll be nice having someone to talk to."

She smiled fakely, knowing what she would have to do. "Well, thank you. I'll be sure to show you just how grateful I am later."

"What are you talking about?" he asked confused. Before she could answer, Ty Lee came back in with her coat on.

"Alright, I gotta go Mr. White! I'll see you tomorrow!" she said cheerily while walking up to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek, making him blush.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Miss Jackson!" he called as she walked out the door.

Katara looked confused. "Is she your girlfriend or something?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't know what that was about. Though now that I think about it, it _does_ seem like she has a bit of a crush on me."

"Oh really now?" Katara chuckled. "You just _now _noticed that? How long has she been working here?"

"About two years," he admitted as he took a sip of water. "She came to the city to become a famous chef but fell on hard times, so now she's working here until she can achieve that dream."

Katara smiled a little. "Well that was nice of you to hire her. Though I must admit, she is an excellent cook. I haven't had sea prunes that tasted that good in years since I last saw my gran-gran."

He smiled in return. "Well, as I said, whatever you want from her, just let her know and she'll make it for you. She's full of energy and doesn't like to wait around much, so she'll be ready at any moment. Her shift starts in the morning at nine and is supposed to go until five, but she likes to stay later to earn some more money."

"I'm not so sure _that's_ why she wants to stay later," Katara laughed.

"I guess not," Aang agreed. "Still, whatever her reason is, it's not like I can't afford it." He snapped his fingers. "Before I forget, I should mention that I also have a cleaning lady named Suki who comes in three days a week. Normally I would just do everything myself, but it helps people find work and it gives me more time to work on my cases, so it all works out."

She nodded while she took a sip of water. "Okay, that's fine. It'll be nice not having to clean, though maybe I should…" she trailed off in thought.

He waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Suki will be just fine on her own. You can do whatever you like while you're here, I just ask that you try to keep things orderly in here and do your best not to break anything."

"Of course I can handle that," she promised as she looked down at her daughter. "You'll hardly even notice we're here." Kya started crying a little, much to her embarrassment. "Okay, you'll hardly even notice _me_ anyway."

"It's alright, Miss Katara," he grinned as he placed a soft hand on Kya, making her quiet down much to Katara's amazement. "I know what it's like to take care of children. I have no problem with having a baby in the house. If nothing else, it'll make this house seem less quiet."

Katara looked at him curiously. "Have you had children before? You look too young to have had a full grown adult by now."

"No, but I've volunteered at my church in the youth center," Aang laughed. "I'm sure one kid is bad, but dealing with ten of them? That's a whole different kind of nightmare." Katara couldn't help but giggle at the scared look on his face, making him smile as he listened to her melodic laugh.

"I'm sure it was," she said between giggles. "Though at least for you it was only an hour or so. I've had to deal with her crying and having to clean her everyday since the day she was born." She looked down to Kya with a smile. "Not that I mind it though. It's absolutely worth it when I see the little smile on her face."

He smiled and held her hand, making her look up to him quickly with yet another blush. "Well now you don't have to do it alone. I'll be here to help you and we'll look for a babysitter to watch her while we find you a job."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course," he assured her with a squeeze of her hand. "As I said, we'll get you whatever you need to take care of you both and get you back up on your feet. Tomorrow I'll let you sleep in and then we'll go shopping and get you some new clothes along with whatever baby stuff you might need. Then the next day we'll take her shopping and get her new clothes. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah," she smiled warmly at him. "That would be great. Thank you so much for helping me. I don't know anyone else who would be so kind."

"It's no problem at all," he assured her with another squeeze of her hand. They just stared into each others' eyes silently, enjoying each others' presence until Katara let out a long yawn. "Looks like someone's tired," he teased. Standing up, he offered a hand to her. "Come on, I'll get you guys a room to stay in." Katara was hesitant at first, slightly dreading what she knew she had to do, but she knew there was no avoiding it. Taking a deep breath, she took his hand and grabbed Kya, making sure to clean up her mess a bit. "Don't worry about the dishes. Ty Lee will take care of that tomorrow." She nodded and followed him up a large stairwell that led to two long hallways on opposite sides, each filled with plenty of rooms. Walking to the right, Aang lead her to the room at the end of the hall and opened the door, revealing a large bedroom with a huge bed. One that was far bigger than a King size. Looking around, she saw a beautiful wooden dresser and a fifty inch tv sitting on top of it accompanied by a dvd player and a cable box.

"Rich people watch cable?" Katara asked in disbelief.

Aang chuckled as he walked in. "I can't speak for others, but I know that I do. Though I probably shouldn't, as there's never really anything on."

Katara couldn't help the laugh that escaped from her lips. "Yeah, you're right. I remember before I became homeless that I would flip through hundreds of channels and never find anything."

"That sounds about right," Aang agreed with a smile. "It doesn't really matter for me, anyway. I don't use the tv much, but maybe it'll come in handy for Kya. Lord knows the only reason I could distract the kids at the youth center was with a kids show."

She smirked. "Yeah, that's the only way that my parents could distract my brother and I when we were children."

"Have you tried getting in contact with them?" Aang wondered.

"I would have, but I had little to no money and no idea what their phone numbers were," she explained. "They don't live in this city, so if I want to find them I'm going to have to hire someone to track them down."

"Don't worry about that. I'll be paying for whatever you might need," he told her. Kya started crying again while Katara sighed sadly. "It's okay, we'll just put something on for her." Walking over to the dresser, he grabbed the remote and turned the tv on, flipping through until he found a cartoon. Kya heard the noises from the show and became fixated on it, instantly quieting her cries. "See?" he grinned. "Works like a charm. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just grab some of my things and go to another room."

Katara's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you're giving me your room?" He nodded as he started taking clothes out of his dresser. "You don't have to do that. We can just stay in another room."

He looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "No, you're the one with a baby. Besides that, you've been out on the streets for a year. You deserve to have a nice room to stay in."

"I'm sure that your other rooms are nice too," she argued.

"They are," he admitted as he grabbed a bag to put his clothes in. "But this one is the best, and you need the most comfort you can get right now. I'll have no arguments on this," he said firmly as he noticed she was about to object again.

She was silent for a moment until she let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright… I just feel bad for kicking you out."

"You're not kicking me out," he assured her as he walked into his bathroom. "I'll be a few rooms down and I will be just fine in a guest room. I appreciate your concern though!"

Katara still didn't look sure, but considering what she was about to do, she figured it would be more than fair to let her have the room. He finally walked out with his bag and noticed her dirty clothes. "How about we get you a robe to wear so you can shower and get out of those dirty clothes?" She nodded and followed him to the bathroom and was once again amazed at just how expensive everything appeared. The bathroom was bigger than her own room when she had lived with Jet. "As you can see here," he gestured to a few hooks on the wall, "I have several robes here for you to use. I never used any of them, so go ahead and take your pick. There's shampoo, conditioner and body wash in there, so use as much as you need. If you need me, I'll be in the third room on the left of the hallway. Have a good night, Miss Katara," he told her with a smile before closing the door behind him.

She smiled a little at his politeness but dropped as she remembered what she had to do. Taking a deep breath, she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower, relishing the warm water running down her skin. It had been so long since she had a shower, she had forgotten how good it felt. As she looked around the shower, she saw expensive brands of hygiene products and smiled. If nothing else, at least she would get to enjoy living like a rich person while she stayed there. Quickly cleaning herself, she rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. _I forgot to ask for a towel_, she realized. Looking around, she noticed a small cabinet and opened it to find a large stack of towels, much to her relief. She dried herself off and walked over to the robes, choosing the blue one in the center. Katara looked in the mirror at her disheveled hair, frowning at it as she tried to fix it. She looked down and noticed a comb on the counter and used it to quickly brush out her hair. Using some mouthwash, she quickly sloshed it around in her mouth and spit it out to ensure that she had decent breath. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she walked out and cradled Kya in her arms, kissing her softly on the head. "I'll be back soon, honey. I've got some business to take care of." Putting her down on the pillows of the bed, she walked quietly out the door and closed it behind her softly, not wanting to disturb her. Aang's door was closed, but she knew that he would still be awake. Taking a deep breath, she walked quietly over to his room and stood in front of it, not knowing how to proceed. Deciding on knocking, she gently knocked on it so that it wouldn't be too loud.

"Come in!" his voice rang from the other side of the door. Taking one last deep breath, she opened it slowly to reveal a shirtless Aang brushing his teeth in the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw her there. Turning around, she couldn't help but drool a little as her gaze traveled down his body. He was very well-built and _very_ muscular with not one inch of fat on him. _Well, at least he's attractive. I think I'll enjoy this,_ she thought hopefully. "Is everything alright, Miss Katara?"

She nodded as she walked closer, standing just outside of the bathroom. "I'm fine. I just came here to talk…"

Aang became confused, but shrugged and returned to brushing his teeth. Spitting out the toothpaste, he rinsed his sink out and put his toothbrush back. "Okay. What did you want to talk about?" He turned around to look at her.

"I came to talk about _this_," she said as she dropped her robe, leaving her naked as the day as she was born before him. His eyes widened in surprise but he quickly shut them and covered them with his hand.

"Um, not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing Miss Katara?" he asked in complete surprise.

She frowned a little. "What? Do you not like how I look?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, it's not that. You're very beautiful, it's just that I don't understand why you're doing this."

Katara became confused. "I thought that this was the whole reason why you invited me here? You take care of me and I provide… _services_ for you," she explained.

"Okay, we obviously need to talk, but would you mind putting your robe back on please?" he asked politely. "Not that you're not beautiful, because you are, but we obviously need to have a talk." Still confused, she put her robe back on and sat down on the bed as he followed her and sat in a chair across from her. "Okay, obviously there's been a mixup here, so let's start where it began. You thought that I brought you here to offer me services in return for me taking care of you and your daughter?" She nodded slowly, still not sure where he was going with this. "No offense or anything, but where on Earth did you get _that _idea?" he asked in confusion.

"Well why else would you invite me here?" she countered. "I wasn't exactly nice to you, so why else would you offer to help me?"

Aang sighed and placed a hand on her hand, causing her to blush again. _Why am I blushing so much when he touches me?_ she thought irritably. "It doesn't matter if you were nice to me or not," he said as he looked her in the eyes. "I won't turn my back on someone just because they were a bit rude to me, especially when they have a helpless child who needs shelter. Since there's been some confusion on this, let's make this clear right now." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "There are absolutely _no_ conditions or favors needed for you to stay here. I expect nothing in return for helping you get back on your feet, and you shouldn't feel like you owe me anything. And if you feel like you do, let's just call having you as company as payment. Like I said before, it'll be nice having someone else in the house. You owe me nothing at all, let alone… _services_ as you call it."

Katara couldn't believe it. Someone who was actually willing to help her with no favors or anything in return? Especially after she was mean to him? "Are you sure?" she asked unsurely.

"Of course I am," he smiled as he squeezed her hand again. "I have more than enough money to take care of a hundred people, let alone a young mother and her kid. I want nothing in return for helping you, except maybe a friend if we get along well."

She smiled and hugged him tightly, feeling completely relieved. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully. "You don't know how much this means to me."

He smiled and hugged her back, enjoying the fresh smell of shampoo in her hair. "It's no problem at all, Miss Katara."

"Katara," she corrected him as she pulled away.

Aang raised a brow, "I'm sorry?"

"Katara," she repeated with a smile. "No need for formalities. You've proven that you're a good guy, so you've earned the right to just call me Katara."

He smiled again. "Well then _Katara_, how about you go back to your room and get some sleep? I'm sure it's been a long time since you've gotten proper rest."

She nodded with her smile intact. "You're right. It has been sometime." Standing up, she started walking out of the room until she stopped at the doorway.

"Did you forget something?" Aang asked in confusion.

"Yeah, you could say that," she agreed over her shoulder. Turning around, she walked up to him and kissed his cheek, making him flush deep red. Laughing a little, she gave him one last smile. "Goodnight Mr. White."

He shook his head quickly. "No need for formalities," he teased as she laughed. "You can call me Aang. Goodnight, Katara."

Unable to stop herself, she gave him a much longer kiss on the cheek, effectively setting his face on fire. She pulled back and smiled at him. "Well then, Goodnight _Aang_." He smiled and watched as she walked out the door, stopping to wave before she closed the door. Once the door was shut, she leaned up against it and let out a long breath, feeling her heart pounding rapidly against her will. She had never thought she would feel like that again, but here she was. Her heart feeling more alive than it ever had before. Sighing slightly, she took one last look at the door and walked back to her room. As she walked to the bed, she saw Kya fast asleep. "Thank God," she sighed in relief. Gently getting on the bed, she grabbed Kya and wrapped her in her arms, falling into happy dreams about the man who had saved her and her daughter from the endless cold of winter.


	2. Chapter 2: A New Day Part 1

Chapter 2: A New Day Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

Sunlight shone through a crack in the blinds in the early morning, right into an unfortunate Katara's eye, causing her to groan as she rolled over. She had gotten more sleep than usual, but still not a lot due to Kya waking her up several times during the night, so she wanted to get as much sleep as she could. Then she realized something: She was in a bed. Her eyes snapped open tiredly to look around to see that she was in an unfamiliar room, and not behind a dumpster as she had grown accustomed to over the last couple weeks. Memories of the night before surged through her mind as she finally woke enough to remember where she was. Letting out a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes again and thought about everything that had happened the previous night. If someone had told her two weeks ago that a young, attractive, rich detective would offer her a place to stay and whatever she needed until she could go out on her own, she would have laughed in their faces. It seemed almost too good to be true.

_What if this is all a dream? _she wondered. _Maybe I'm just sleeping and I'll wake up soon and find myself behind the dumpster again._ Seeing only one way to know for sure, she took an arm from around Kya and pinched herself. Her tiredness did not help however, as she misjudged just how hard she was pinching herself. "Ow!" she whisper-shouted, causing Kya to stir in her sleep. Katara watched her fearfully, not wanting her to wake up just yet. After a few moments, Kya seemed to settle down and went back to sleep, much to Katara's relief. "Thank God," she whispered to herself, now more awake than before. Looking around, she couldn't help but admire the room. She had never been in such a nice room before, let alone in a mansion. It still amazed her that Aang had been willing to let her have the room while he went and stayed in a guest room. That kind of kindness was almost unheard of in the world she knew. Her thoughts drifted back to when she had visited him in his room. She was still a little surprised that he hadn't brought her there for _services _as she had originally thought, but she was thankful all the same. Though truthfully, she wouldn't have _hated_ doing services for him. He was very attractive and nice, so if she had to at least it would have been with someone she would enjoy it with.

She blushed in embarrassment as she recalled dropping her robes in front of him. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but maybe if she had just spoken her thoughts aloud before she had done it, then maybe she wouldn't have made a fool of herself in front of him. And finally, her thoughts led to her rapidly beating heart as she walked out of the room. She had thought that she would never feel that way again, but she did, and she didn't know what to think about it. Does his heart pound as furiously as hers when she was around? Would he ever think of her in that way? Could Katara really get over the ghosts of her past and try to find new love? She knew that she couldn't avoid her feelings forever, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to jump right back into it a relationship after what she went through with Jet. Especially with a daughter to take care of. _One thing at a time, Katara_, she chided herself. _You don't even know if he feels the same. Take some time to get to know him more, and if anything's meant to happen, it will happen. There's no need to rush into anything._ Sighing, she closed her eyes and attempted to sleep again when she heard a knock on the door. Curious, she gently set Kya down and tip-toed over to the door. She opened the door to reveal a smiling Aang holding a tray of food. "Good morning, Katara. Did you sleep well?" he greeted her politely.

"Better than usual, but Kya woke me up a few times," Katara admitted with a yawn. "Who's that for?"

Aang laughed a little. "It's for you."

Her brows furrowed. "Oh. Well thank you, but how did this get made? Ty Lee doesn't get here until nine if I remember correctly."

"She does," he nodded in agreement. "I made this for you. I may have a personal chef, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to cook."

"You did?" she asked in surprise. He nodded with his smile intact. "Thank you," she told him while her heart resumed its rapid beat from the night before. "You didn't have to do that."

He just smiled. "I know, but I was up and I figured you might be hungry. And knowing children, I figured that she would have woken you up by now." Aang looked over to Kya with a soft smile. "Did she wake you or did I?"

"Neither of you woke me," Katara assured him. "The sun's the one to blame for that," she told him as she gestured to the sunlight peeking out of the shades.

"Ah, I see," he nodded in understanding. "I used to blame the sun for waking me up, but truth be told, I'm just an early riser. Have been since I was a kid."

Katara laughed. "I wish I could say the same, but everyone in my family definitely likes to sleep in. Especially my brother. Half the time I couldn't get him up before twelve."

Aang laughed as well as he walked in and set the tray down on the bed. "He sounds like he's an interesting man. I suppose you miss him?"

"Of course I do," she agreed as she sat and patted the spot next to her. He shook his head for a second and walked over to the closet. "What? Is it too early for you to sit?" she teased.

"No," he chuckled as he opened the door to reveal a walk-in closet. "I'm just grabbing something real quick. Just a moment." A few moments later, he came back out with a folding table and set it up in front of her, allowing her easier access to her food.

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Aang." He smiled in return and watched as she dug into her food. "You know, for one of the richest men in the world, you're very nice and selfless. How is that?"

He just shrugged as he adjusted the table some more, ensuring that it was stable. "It's just how my parents raised me. They started the company with humble means and earned their way to the top by doing right by others and treating them how they wanted to be treated. I'll always be thankful that they taught me how to be kind to others, as it's one of the things I enjoy most about this life."

"Well I have them to thank, too," Katara told him with a smile.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a raised brow.

"If they hadn't raised you that way, I likely wouldn't have gotten this opportunity to come here and start over," she explained as she stared deeply into his beautiful gray orbs. "I probably never would have found a warm shelter and might even had to-" she cut herself off, not wanting to say it aloud.

He gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "It's okay, Katara. What's important is that you did find a place, and now you don't have to surrender her. I'll make sure of that. You have my word that nothing will come between you and your daughter."

She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Aang. You have no idea how much that means to me." Her attention turned to her sleeping daughter, feeling content knowing that she was in a safe place. "There's something else that I'm thankful for," she admitted as she returned her attention to him.

"And what would that be?" he wondered.

"I'm thankful I got to meet you," she said honestly, making him blush a little. "You've given me hope that I didn't think I would ever have again. And you've shown me that not every man is evil, as I used to think besides a few people that I've met over the course of my life so far." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it softly. "Thank you. For not turning your back on me when I was rude to you. For not expecting anything from me in return even when I offered myself to you. And most of all for not letting my daughter suffer because of my mistakes."

"Hold on a moment," he interrupted her before she could say anything more. "Who said that she was suffering because of something that you did? You didn't do anything to deserve going through what you did either. Where did you get that idea?"

Katara was silent for a moment as she stared down at her lap. "Maybe if I had been a better wife to my ex-husband, then maybe none of this would ever have happened. Maybe I'm the one to blame for all of this happening," she thought aloud slowly.

He took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him, causing her to blush deeply as she stared into the storm clouds he called eyes. They were stormy with anger and defiance, something that was scary and unusual from what she had seen in them so far. It was almost unnerving to see the anger take over where the joy and laughter had once been. "Don't you ever think that," he whispered seriously to her. "_None_ of this is your fault. Your ex-husband is a low-life scumbag if he would just kick you out while you were pregnant with his child." He took a deep breath as he looked away before returning his gaze to her eyes. "Don't you _ever_ think that you did anything wrong in that situation. He didn't deserve you or her, and he will pay the price of never getting to enjoy a life with you because he made the biggest mistake of his life leaving you to fend for yourself and for her. Never think that again, because it's not true in any way. Okay?" he finished his little speech gently.

"Okay," she finally agreed reluctantly after a few moments of silence. "I'm sorry, it's just that I couldn't understand why he would do that to me, and it made me think that I did something wrong for him to abandon me."

He wrapped her in a hug which she returned eagerly, soaking in the comfort being in his arms gave. "Well let me assure you, you did nothing wrong. He's the biggest idiot in the world for letting you go, and he'll get what's coming to him for betraying you if he hasn't already." He kissed her softly on her head, making her heart speed up quickly. "That guy has no idea what he let go. And someday when you're with someone who can love and appreciate you the way you deserve to be, you'll look back and know that what I'm saying is true. I hope that I'm around for when that happens, because I hate to see you blame yourself for something you had no control over."

"Why wouldn't you be around?" she asked a little worriedly, not wanting to think about him leaving her life. _Uh oh,_ she thought nervously with a gulp. _That's not good. I shouldn't be thinking like this already._

"You might choose to move away from here once you've gotten back on your feet," he reminded her. "Once you have the means to, you can go anywhere your heart desires. But I'll always be here, so it's completely possible that I won't be around when that does happen." Katara didn't say anything for a moment as she was lost in her thoughts. One thought in particular took the forefront of her mind: _But what if _you_ are the one who loves and appreciates me the way you say I deserve to be?_ This thought repeated itself in her mind as she buried her face in his strong shoulder, trying her best to get the thought out of her head. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't leave, and she eventually gave up with a defeated sigh. "Is everything alright, Katara?"

She quickly snapped out of her thoughts and nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm just thinking about my future," she lied, feeling a little guilty that she wasn't being honest with him after all he was doing for her.

He stroked her hair softly, making her sigh in content as she felt his calming presence overtake her worry. "Well we can think about that later, but for now you should just worry about eating your breakfast before it gets cold," he joked, making her giggle as he pulled away. She wanted to dive back into his arms and feel the warmth he gave, but she would just have to wait for another moment to feel it again.

"I guess you're right," she agreed as she resumed eating. He stood up and started walking towards the door. "Do you have to go?" she asked a little sadly, not wanting him to go just yet.

Aang looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I don't have to, but I need to get something real quick. I'll be right back," he promised before he walked out of the room, leaving Katara to her thoughts as she continued eating her meal. Katara didn't really know what to think other than what had previously been in her head before. She hadn't even known Aang for a full day, and yet somehow she had already grown quite an attachment to him. The thought of Ty Lee and her obvious jealousy popped into her mind. Did he have this effect on all women, or was there something deeper about what she felt towards Aang? Something almost… once in a lifetime? Before she could go further into her thoughts, Aang returned with a set of clothes in his hands. "Here you go. I hope you don't mind that I snuck in here earlier to get your clothes from last night," he said as he set them down on the bed next to her.

"Of course I don't mind," she assured him. "Thank you for being so thoughtful."

"It's my pleasure," he told her with a grin. "I considered just going out and getting you clothes to get you to the store, but I have no idea what your size is and I didn't want to get you something you wouldn't like, so I decided it would be better just to wash your clothes from the previous night."

She finished her meal and took a closer look at them in amazement, not seeing one stain from her year of wearing them. "Wow," she breathed in amazement. "You must have a great washing machine if you managed to get all of the dust and dirt that was in these."

He just shrugged as he retook his seat next to her. "I just scrubbed it out until I was satisfied that there wouldn't be anything left. My washing machine _is_ nice, but it's not _that_ strong."

"Well either way, thank you for taking care of them," she thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. "So, what's the plan for today?"

Aang smiled and pulled out a list from his pocket. "Well, whenever you're ready, we'll go over to a store that's owned by an old friend of mine and get you as many clothes as you want. Then we'll go to the market and pick out whatever stuff you need for Kya and then maybe grab some lunch if you're hungry by then," he suggested.

"That sounds great," she agreed with a smile. "Do you think we could try this place I've never been to before? I've been wanting to try it out forever."

"Sure. I'm always open to trying new things," Aang nodded as he looked her in the eyes. "What's the place called?"

She took a moment to think about it before she snapped her fingers. "It was called the Jasmine Dragon. It's supposed to be the best diner in the city, but I wouldn't know since I never got to go there. Jet wouldn't let me pick where we would eat, so I've always wondered what it was like."

Aang grinned as he took her hand in his, making her blush for what felt like the thousandth time. "That works out perfectly. The Jasmine Dragon is owned by another friend of mine, so we'll have guaranteed seating no matter what."

"Really?" Katara asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Aang chuckled. "I've known the owner since I was a kid. He's like a second father to me. We'll have no problem getting in."

She hugged him tightly, still a little surprised that he had agreed so readily. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear, causing him to shiver a little.

"No problem," he murmured back as he returned the hug. She let out a content sigh as she got lost in his warmth again before a thought came to mind.

"What about Kya?" she wondered. "We don't have anyone to watch her while we're out."

Aang pulled back and shook his head. "We do. I arranged something last night. I have a friend who's agreed to watch her until we've found a more permanent babysitter so that you and I can work on getting what you need to get back on your feet."

"Do you know her well?" Katara questioned worriedly. "Because I don't want to leave Kya with some woman that you hardly even know."

"I've known her my whole life," he assured her with a squeeze of her hand. "She's my childhood best friend and loves children. She'll take great care of her, I promise."

Katara didn't look so sure, not really wanting to trust anyone else with her daughter, but she had complete faith in Aang, so she gave in reluctantly. "Alright, if you say so. When will she be here?"

He looked at his watch. "She should be here in about an hour or so. You could question her if it would make you feel any better about her watching Kya," he offered.

She shook her head. "No, I trust you, Aang. And if you trust this woman, then I'm okay with it."

"Really? You trust me after not even a full day?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah," she smiled at him. "I may have only known you for not even a day, but I have a way of telling when someone can or can't be trusted. And from what I've known about you so far, I can tell that I have no reason to mistrust you."

Aang was silent for a moment before he spoke reluctantly, "If that's true, why did you marry your ex-husband?"

She was silent for a moment as well. "Somewhere deep in my mind, I knew that he couldn't be trusted, but I didn't want to believe it," she admitted with a sigh. "He was so charming and handsome that I ignored my intuition and let myself fall for him." She shook her head at herself. "What a mistake that was," she muttered bitterly as she stared down at her lap.

"Well look on the bright side," Aang raised her chin to look at him. "Now you have a beautiful daughter who looks just like her mother. If nothing else, be thankful for that."

His words broke through her walls and went directly to her heart, amazing her at just how thoughtful and wise he was. "You're right," she said with a smile. "I'll always be thankful for her." She looked at Kya with her smile unwavering. "I don't know what I would do without her."

"Oh, I'm sure that you would be well-known as the most beautiful model in the world," Aang chuckled, causing her to blush heavily. "But all the same, I think I know what you mean. That's what I used to think about my childhood dog, Appa, but no one lives forever," he sighed a little wistfully. "Though having a pet is definitely not the same as having a kid."

"Tell that to my Gran-Gran who treats her cats like royalty," Katara laughed, making him laugh as well. "I swear, sometimes I couldn't help but wonder if she loved her pets more than her own son."

Aang burst out laughing, causing her to laugh harder and for them both to fall back on the bed with her laying down with her head on his chest. Once their laughs finally ceased, she realized where she was and blushed heavily but didn't move, completely comfortable where she was. "It sounds like you have an interesting family," Aang told her as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Yeah, I do," she agreed with a smile as she waited for him to say something about her laying down on his chest, but as the moments passed by, he said nothing. Her eyes widened in surprise when she felt a hand softly stroke her head, causing her to flush all the way down to her neck.

"Well don't worry," he whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver. "We'll find them soon and you can either go live with them or just visit whenever you want."

Katara shook her head against his chest as she flipped over to look him in the eyes. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not go back to live with them."

His brows furrowed. "Why? You'd rather live with a stranger than your own family?"

"It's more complicated than that," she admitted sheepishly. "When I got married to Jet, my father knew that he couldn't be trusted and tried to get me to back out of the marriage, but I wouldn't and it sort of left a rift between us. There's a reason why I haven't been in contact with him for a while."

"I see," Aang responded after a moment of silence. She worried that she might have scared him off at her admission, but he took her hand in his and kissed it softly, making her blush yet again, much to her annoyance. "I understand that you weren't thinking clearly, but now you have a chance to make everything right with your father. It's not too late to fix things until they're gone. Once we find your family, you need to work things out with him," he urged her.

She nodded slowly, "Of course I want to, but I don't know if he'll even want to speak to me again. I betrayed him when he was only trying to help me. I don't deserve his forgiveness. How do I know he won't just ignore me like I ignored him?"

"Because he's your father," Aang told her simply, as if that was enough of an explanation.

"I know that he's my father, but that doesn't mean that he'll forgive me," Katara argued. "I probably really hurt him when I ignored his wishes, and look where it got me."

Aang smiled a little and caressed her cheek, making her face catch on fire as he stared into her eyes. "I'm sorry that you had to go through what you did, but I can't say I'm entirely sorry that it all happened. I might not have ever gotten to meet you if what happened hadn't, and I might not have gotten a new friend."

Katara smiled back happily and put a hand over his. "Well if nothing else, I'm glad I got to meet you too. You're truly unique, Aang. I don't know any other man who is as kind, polite, and funny as you are. The things I went through were bad, but they were worth it since I got to meet you." He smiled warmly at her and pulled her up for a hug which she sank into with a happy sigh. _Damn it,_ she thought in annoyance. _This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to get feelings for someone so soon. What am I going to do?_ Her worries couldn't take much of a hold on her, as she was too lost in the comfort being in his arms gave to really worry too much. Before anything else could be said, Kya finally awoke, and with a loud cry of hunger too.

"I suppose you should feed her," Aang said as he gently moved her off of him and onto the bed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed a little sadly as they both sat up. "So we'll be going in an hour?" He nodded. "Great. I'll be ready by then. I'm looking forward to meeting this friend of yours." Aang laughed a little. "What?"

He waved his hand. "It's nothing. It's just that she has a bit of a crush on me too."

Katara gulped. "Who else has a crush on you?" she asked nervously, fearing that her feelings had been discovered.

Aang gave her a puzzled look. "Ty Lee? Remember? You know, the girl who you teased me about being ignorant at how obvious she was being and I had no clue?"

"Oh yeah," Katara chuckled nervously. "That's right."

"Who else would have a crush on me?" Aang asked curiously.

"No one!" she exclaimed quickly, trying and failing to hide the huge blush on her face. Luckily for her, he seemed to think nothing of it and shrugged as he stood up and walked out the door.

He stopped for a moment as he looked over his shoulder. "I know that you believe that your father won't forgive you, but take it from me. He will." And with that, he shut the door behind him, leaving her to her thoughts.

* * *

An hour later, Katara came down with Kya in her arms, being a little nervous at meeting this friend of his. He had told her that his childhood best friend had a crush on him, but she couldn't help but wonder if he returned this crush or not. Jealousy crept through her mind, already making her hate this girl who she didn't even know her name yet. _Stop it, Kat. You're being ridiculous_, she scolded herself in her mind. _You don't even know if he likes _you_ back, so don't be freaking out over something you have no control over._ Still, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the jealousy to leave. It had taken residence in her and wouldn't move away until she was satisfied that nothing would happen between them. Sighing slightly, she reached the bottom of the stairs as Aang opened the door. "On Ji! It's good to see you!"

The girl walked in and smiled widely at him, making Katara growl lowly in her throat. "Aang! It's been too long!" She gave him a hug which he returned quickly before he pulled away and closed the door.

"How have you been? How's your job now that you run the daycare?" he asked with a smile as he took her coat.

"Oh you know," she waved him off. "Same old same old. Only difference is that I call the shots while making a dollar more an hour," she joked, making him laugh as he led her over to Katara.

Aang smiled as he saw her, making Katara's worry go away a little. "Katara! I have someone I want you to meet!" He gestured to On Ji. "This is On Ji! My childhood best friend and the manager of the most exclusive daycare in the city!"

On Ji's smile dropped a little as she noticed Katara, but she resumed it so quickly that Katara wondered if she had just imagined it. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Katara. I've heard a lot about you from Aang."

Katara blushed a little. "You have?"

"I have," On JI nodded with obvious jealousy in her voice. "He speaks very highly of you despite knowing you for less than a day. You seem to have made quite an impression on him."

Aang blushed and rolled his eyes. "Okay On Ji, can we speak about something else now?" he whispered to her.

"With pleasure," On Ji whispered back with a roll of her eyes before returning her attention to Katara. "Anyway, I'm assuming that's the kid I'm watching for now?"

Aang cleared his throat pointedly. "Yep. Her name is Kya and she's a real sweetheart, just like her mother," he told her, causing Katara to smile.

On Ji plastered on a fake smile as she inwardly rolled her eyes. "That's great then! She'll be in good hands. I promise," she assured Katara.

"Okay then," Aang cut in before Katara could say anything. "We'll be out for a little while, so help yourself to any drinks or food when Ty Lee gets here and we'll be back soon." Katara reluctantly gave Kya to On Ji who took her with a smile.

"Bye honey. I'll be back soon," Katara promised with a kiss on Kya's forehead before she allowed Aang to lead her out the door. Finally getting outside, Aang shut the door and sighed in relief. "Looks like someone's relieved to be out of there," she teased as he rubbed his eyes with his index finger and his thumb.

"You have no idea," he agreed quietly, causing her to look at him curiously. "Don't get me wrong, she's a great friend," he amended quickly. "But this crush of hers that she's had on me makes her do impulsive things that she shouldn't."

Katara gave him a puzzled look. "What does she do that you think is so bad?"

Aang was silent for a moment as he started walking to his car. "Well for instance, one time when we were younger, she stayed over at my house and tried to peek on me in the shower," he admitted.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" He nodded. "How did you deal with that?"

"I didn't, really," he shrugged as he held the door open for her. She climbed into the car and he got into his seat. "Frankly I just tried to pretend like nothing happened, but unfortunately that didn't quite work for me since I remember it vividly."

She giggled a little. "That must have been pretty awkward to have your best friend peeping on you in the middle of a shower."

"Yeah, it was," he agreed with a sigh as he pulled out of his parking lot. "But there's only so many ways you can go if you don't want to lose the friendship, so I didn't say anything. Luckily for me, she never did it again, but I'm still wary in case she ever tries to."

"Well why didn't you just talk to her about it?" Katara wondered. "I know that if I had been in your situation, there's no way I would have left that go unaddressed."

He shrugged as he exited the neighborhood. "Like I said, I was scared to bring it up because I didn't want to lose her friendship, so I didn't say anything about it. If she had peeped on me again, then I would have said something, but fortunately she didn't." Katara was silent for a moment, picturing what Aang would look like in a shower and blushed heavily in embarrassment. He noticed this and became concerned. "Is everything okay?"

She snapped out of her dirty thoughts and nodded quickly. "Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about Kya is all," she lied.

He put a hand on her arm and squeezed it, causing her blush to resurface. "Don't worry about it, Katara. I've known On Ji my whole life. She'll take perfect care of Kya while we're out and about. I know it's not easy to trust your child with a stranger, but I promise that nothing bad will happen to her."

"I know," she agreed with a smile as she looked at him. "I completely trust you, Aang. If you say that she can be trusted, then I trust you."

Aang smiled, "Well good. I'm glad." They finally pulled up to a large building with a sign that read "The Ice Palace" in big blue letters. "Here we are. My friend here will get you all set whatever clothes you need, whether it's for business or for casual days." He got out of the car and held the door open while holding out a hand to her. "Shall we?"

She smiled and took his hand. "We shall." Katara followed him into the store where lots of people milled around, trying her best not to get lost in a sea of faces. Aang grabbed her hand when he noticed her discomfort and dragged her along while she tried her best not to blush from feeling the thrill she felt whenever their hands touched. After a few minutes of walking, they finally made it to the head of the customer service desk and cut through the line as everyone stepped out of the way, looking at him reverently. "Why are these people treating you like that?" she whispered to him.

"I have no idea," he said in all honesty. "Though it might be because I'm the reason this place exists and does so well."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You own _another_ business?" she asked in disbelief.

He shook his head quickly. "No, I don't own it. I'm an investor, but I don't own it. At least not the whole thing, anyway." They finally made it to the counter and he sighed a little as he noticed who was behind it. "Hello, Meng," he greeted her unenthusiastically.

"Hello Mr. White," Meng reached out to touch his arm but he took a step back. She noticed Katara standing there and jealousy became obvious in her voice. "Oh, did you get a new girlfriend?"

"No, this is my friend Katara. She's in need of some new clothes and I'm here to help pay for them," he explained as politely as he could. "Would you mind getting Yue for me?"

Katara gasped. "Yue? As in Yue Flores? The most popular designer in the city?"

Aang chuckled slightly as he saw her awestruck face. "That would be her. She's an old friend of mine from high school. With some of my financial support, she was able to start her own clothing line and eventually decided to open her own store."

"Yep, and now here I am," Meng interrupted, wanting to be back into the conversation. "So, if she's not your girlfriend, would you be interested in one?" she asked with a flirty wink. Aang was saved from having to respond when none other than Yue came up to the desk.

"Meng, I need you to deal with this customer over here. Give her twenty percent off of her pants since we didn't have the right size for her," she instructed. "No customer will leave here unsatisfied."

Meng put on a fake smile and inwardly rolled her eyes. "Yes Ma'am. I'll take care of that right away for you." She walked over to the other customer while Yue finally looked over at Aang and gasped.

"Aang!" she said gleefully as she ran around the counter and tackled him in a hug, making Katara growl lowly in her throat. "It feels like it's been forever since I've seen you!"

Aang laughed and hugged her back quickly before letting go. "It's been some time, what with you being busy working on making new clothes and running your store."

"Our store," she corrected him with a smile. "It's just as much yours as it's mine."

He shook his head. "Remember? I gave you ten percent of my equity so you would be able to do things your way?"

"Oh yeah," she said in realization. "I forgot about that. Well either way, you still own a large part of the store, so it's both of ours." She looked to his right and finally noticed Katara. "Who's this?" she asked with a tinge of jealousy in her voice.

"This is my new friend Katara," he gestured to her with a smile, not noticing how Katara winced everytime he would say 'friend'. "She's in need of new clothes and I thought 'who better to help her than the best designer in the city'."

Yue smiled widely with a blush. "Well thank you. I appreciate your compliment."

"It's not just a compliment, Yue," Aang argued as he picked up a magazine from the counter. "It literally says it right here," he pointed to the headline.

"I know," Yue chuckled. "But it still means a lot coming from you. So, what exactly are we looking for today?"

Aang thought about it for a moment. "Well… we're obviously wanting to get her some casual clothes, but I also want to get her some work clothes and maybe a few nice dresses in case she ever wants to go out on a date," he told her, making Katara's heart pound furiously.

"What, are you asking me on a date?" Katara joked, secretly hoping he would say yes.

He blushed heavily and rubbed his neck. "Um… I was thinking in case you met someone you liked, but…" Katara smiled in hope as Yue interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

"Okay! How about we go get those clothes!" she exclaimed while dragging Aang away, leaving an angry Katara standing there. With a huff of discontempt, she followed them through the crowd over to the women's section where Aang was doing his best not to look at the bras there, prompting Katara to laugh at his innocence. "Now," Yue started, "we'll get those casual clothes as you said and then we'll figure out some work clothes for her." She grabbed Katara and dragged her over to another section of the room. "I'm guessing you're a size eight?"

Katara nodded in surprise. "How did you know that?"

Yue shrugged with a laugh. "I've been doing this for a while. If I didn't know how to guess sizes, I wouldn't be the best designer in the city." She started rifling through clothes and pulled out ones for Katara to try. After what felt like forever, Yue was finally satisfied and grabbed them while dragging Katara over to a fitting room. "Alright, try these on real quick and let me know what you think."

"Wait, shouldn't Aang be here to see if they're good? He's the one paying for them after all," Katara argued.

"Nope! Good luck now!" Yue said fake-cheerily and ran back over to Aang. Katara rolled her eyes and walked into the fitting room, doing her best to sort out the mess of clothes Yue had left in her wake. As much as she didn't want to, she had to admit Yue had great taste. Almost every outfit she tried on was gorgeous, and likely very expensive. She heard a knock on the door.

"Hey Kat!" she smiled at his new nickname for her. "Is everything go alright in there?"

"Yep! Just trying on some things. Want to see some of them?" she offered, hoping he would say yes.

She could hear the smile in his voice. "Of course! Come on out whenever you're ready!" Katara took a deep breath and slowly opened the door, peeking out to see Aang there with a smile on his face. She finally stepped out all the way and smiled as his smile widened. "You look amazing, Kat."

Her smile widened to the point where it felt like her face would break. "Thanks," she said a little shyly.

"So have you managed to try on all of the outfits Yue picked for you?" She nodded. "Were there any you liked?"

"Honestly, I liked them all," she admitted while she played with her hair nervously. "But I understand that you can only get a few."

He became puzzled. "Who said that? If you like them all, then I'm going to get all of them for you. It's not exactly like money's an object for me," he laughed.

"I already feel bad enough that I'm taking so much from you," she argued. "I don't want to take any more than I already am."

"Hey, you're not taking anything from me," he promised with a grin. "This money would just be sitting around in my bank account anyway, so the only people you're hurting is my bank," he joked, making her giggle.

"Are you sure?" she asked unsurely.

He smiled and gave her a hug which she accepted eagerly. "Of course I am. Now go ahead and pick out whatever clothes you want and put them in a pile outside of the room. Yue's going to get you some work clothes and a few dresses, so she should be back any minute. I'm going to go run to the bathroom real quick, okay?" She nodded and sighed a little as he walked away before walking back into the fitting room to gather her stuff. A few minutes later, Yue came back in and tossed some clothes over the opening at the top.

"Here you go, Katara! Try these on and let me know what you think!" she yelled from the other side of the door, making Katara cover her ears at her unnecessary loudness.

"Okay! Thanks Miss Flores!" she responded as she started putting on a work suit.

"No need for that!" Yue called over the other side. "Any friend of Aang's is a friend of mine!"

Katara knew she shouldn't, but her curiosity got the better of her. "So, you knew Aang back in high school?"

Yue was silent for a moment, due to her texting someone before she responded, "Yeah! He and I actually used to date!"

"Oh," Katara responded quietly. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"Oh you know," Yue started as she put down her phone. "The same old 'I'm just not ready for a relationship right now' and 'I'm still not over the death of my parents and I don't want my bad moods to affect your life'."

Katara didn't respond for a moment, disgusted that Yue was treating his pain of missing his parents so lightly. "Well, hopefully he's over it by now."

"Yeah, that's what I"m hoping too!" Yue agreed as Katara tried on a blue dress that matched her eyes.

Aang finally got back from the bathroom and looked to Yue. "Is she still in there?"

Yue rolled her eyes. "Noooo. I'm just waiting here for no reason," she drawled sarcastically.

He just chuckled at her sarcasm. "Sorry, but I had to ask. I'm not going to peek in there just to see if she's still there." He turned his attention to Katara. "Come on out whenever you're ready Kat!" Katara took a deep breath with one last look in the mirror before she walked out, smiling as Aang's jaw dropped to the ground while Yue rolled her eyes. "You look beautiful," he breathed.

"Thanks," she murmured shyly. Yue looked her over, making Katara feel a little awkward until Yue finally shrugged.

"What can I say? I did a good job," she admitted.

Aang patted her on the back. "You definitely did, Yue." He returned his attention to Katara. "So, go ahead and pick out whatever you liked and we'll bring it up to the register." Katara nodded with a smile and quickly got changed while grabbing all the clothes she wanted. As she stepped out, Aang took the clothes from her. "I'll go pay for these real quick and then how about we get something to eat?"

Katara's stomach growled. "Sure. That sounds good right about now," she agreed with a laugh. He laughed in return and walked towards the front of the store when Yue made sure he was gone before before turning her attention to Katara.

"Now don't get me wrong," she started. "You seem to be a very nice girl, but do me a favor and stay away from him. He's mine and has been since high school. Okay?"

Katara didn't say anything for a moment before she shrugged. "Okay. I won't do anything. But if he asks me out on a date, I won't say 'no', just so you know."

Yue rolled her eyes as she let out a long sigh. "Fine, I guess that's fair." She paused for a moment. "I'm assuming you don't have many friends in this city?" Katara shook her head. "Well, I could always use a new one, and you seem like someone I could get along with. How about we hang out sometime?"

"That would be great," Katara said enthusiastically.

Yue smiled for the first time since meeting Katara as she handed her a card from her pocket. "Great! Here's my number. Text me some time when you want to hang out. There's just so few people who I really get along with, it would be nice to have an actual friend who isn't my ex."

"I will! See you later, Miss Flores."

"Please," Yue put a hand up. "You can call me Yue. I'll see you around, Katara." And with that, she got up and walked away, leaving Katara excited. Now she had a new potential friend, even if that friend was after the guy she liked. Shaking her head at herself, she walked back to the front of the store to see Aang finishing up. As she reached him, he swiped his card and got the receipt.

"Thank you!" he thanked the cashier politely. He looked over and smiled at Katara. "Are you ready to go?"

Katara nodded with a smile. "Yep. I think I've had enough clothes shopping for today." Her stomach growled again, much to her embarrassment. "So, you mentioned something about getting food?"

Aang laughed and nodded, gesturing to the door he opened with his other arm. "Shall we?" Katara smiled and walked out with him close behind. They reached his car and put all of the bags in the trunk, just barely managing to cram it all in.

"I can't thank you enough for everything you're doing," she told Aang gratefully.

He just waved her off. "It's no problem at all, Kat. Now come on, let's go get some food." He opened the door for her which she climbed into after giving him a kiss on the cheek, making him blush as he got into the driver's seat. Before he got moving, he dialed a number on his phone and waited, listening to it ring as someone picked up.

"Hello?" an old man's voice answered.

"Hey Iroh," Aang greeted with a smile. "I need a favor…"


	3. Chapter 3: A New Day Part 2

Chapter 3: A New Day Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

Katara and Aang walked into the diner, just barely managing to slip through the crowd that was waiting patiently to be seated. After a few minutes of polite apologies and gentle shoving, they finally made their way to the front where a young lady stood there waiting with a bored look on her face. "Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, how can I help you?" she greeted them disinterestedly until she noticed Aang. Finally getting excited, she grinned and winked at him until she saw Katara come up behind him. "Hello Mr. White, we've got a table ready for you and your girlfriend?" she asked with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Aang shook his head. "No, she's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend who I'm helping out."

June nodded, not really believing him but shrugged it off and grabbed some menus before motioning for them to follow her. She led the way out to a back corner of the room into another room that was far more private than any of the seats out in the diner. "Wow," Katara breathed as she looked around, seeing collections of japanese swords and posters with different tea recipes on them. "This room is… _different_ than the rest of the diner."

"Yep, sorry about that," Aang apologized with a sheepish smile. "It was the only space Iroh had available."

She smiled warmly at him. "It's perfectly fine, Aang. I'm just happy that we're here right now. I've wanted to eat here for a long time."

June rolled her eyes and set their menus down at the table as they sat down. "Now, can I get you guys anything to drink while you look at your menus?" she asked Aang while uncharacteristically batting her eyelashes at him.

"A water for me please and thank you," Aang ordered with a polite smile.

June nodded with a smile back which dropped when she turned to Katara. "And for you, miss?"

"I'll have the same if you don't mind, please," Katara told her as politely as possible without scrunching down from the death glare she was receiving.

She nodded. "Okay then. I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders." And with that, she walked away, leaving Katara wondering why June was glaring at her.

"Are you okay, Katara?" Aang asked in concern as Katara snapped out of her thoughts.

She nodded quickly and let out a sigh. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that for some reason girls keep glaring at me or telling me to back off of you."

Aang's brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at her from his menu. "What do you mean? I don't recall you getting on me in the first place. Besides, what you and I do is none of their business anyway. Why would they care if I'm out with a friend?" he asked with a hint of anger in his tone.

"Well… maybe because this kind of seems like we're on a date," Katara murmured quietly, not allowing Aang to hear what she said.

"What was that, Katara?"

She blushed heavily and shook her head. "Nothing. I just said that they're being jealous over nothing. They seem to think that I'm your girlfriend and that I'm going to take their chances of them being able to get you," she explained with a roll of her eyes.

Aang became confused. "But it's not like we're on a date or anything. Why would they think that you're my girlfriend?"

Katara hesitated for a moment, not really wanting to do this, but she figured she might as well see where this could go. "Well, if you think about it, it _does_ kind of seem like I'm your girlfriend," she attempted to be nonchalant, but failed miserably.

He blushed heavily and hid his face behind the menu. "How so?" he questioned as he peeked over the menu, not allowing her to see his burning cheeks.

"You bought me expensive clothes, you hold doors open for me, and now you're taking me to the most popular diner in town," Katara said shyly, a little scared at what he would say.

"I guess that makes sense," Aang conceded as he put his menu down and folded his hands. "But we're not on a date, I'm helping you get what you need so that you can start over."

Katara smiled sadly. "I know that, but they don't. All they see is a lady who's come into your life who you're buying clothes for and taking her to lunch at the most exclusive diner in town. It's pretty obvious why they would see that."

He thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, even if we _were_ on a date, they shouldn't be getting jealous and sending you glares. Why do they even want to go out with me, anyway? What do I have to offer?"

Katara snorted, thinking he was joking until she saw the confused look on his face. "Wait, you're being serious?" she asked in disbelief.

"Very," he agreed.

She looked at him as if he was crazy. "Aang, I think the real question you should be asking is: Why would they _not_ want to go out with you?"

Aang just became more confused. "What? It's not like I've got a lot to offer. I know that I'm rich, but what else have I got?"

Katara couldn't believe her ears. _Does he really think so low of himself that the only thing he can think of that girls would want from him is his money?_ Shaking her head at how ludicrous that sounded, she returned her attention to him. "Aang, you have a lot to offer." She knew that her next words weren't going to come out well, but she had to say them anyway. "You're gorgeous, rich, kind, a gentleman, incredibly giving, and good with children. What _don't _you have to offer?" she stopped herself from continuing, her cheeks already on fire from her admission knowing that if she continued her word vomit it would only be worse for her.

He blushed just as heavily, staring down at his menu with a soft smile. "Well thanks," he murmured quietly.

"Yeah," she murmured back, trying desperately to avoid his gaze, her cheeks still feeling like someone had put a tiny furnace in there.

"You know, you have a lot to offer too," Aang told her, his cheeks tinting pink slightly.

She smiled at his words. "You really think so?"

"Of course," Aang chuckled as he looked her in the eyes. "You're absolutely gorgeous, you're one of the most polite people I've ever met, you're a great mother and you're strong. A lot of guys like women who are strong-willed."

"Really?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah," Aang laughed. "Some like it because they think it's kinky, but the normal ones like me like it because, at least for me anyway, I'd rather be with someone who knows what they want and isn't afraid to go for it."

Katara bit her lip nervously. Should she go for it then? Should she try her luck and see if he would be interested in an actual date? Her promise to Yue came to mind, and she knew with a sigh that she couldn't. As much as she wanted to, she also didn't want to lose a potential friend when she didn't even know for sure if Aang would say 'yes' or not. June finally came back with their waters and looked at them. "And what can I get for you today?" she asked with a mini-glare at Katara.

Aang cleared his throat. "I will take a chicken caesar salad please," he ordered politely.

June nodded and looked to Katara. "And for you, Miss?"

Katara looked down at her menu. "I'll have the rib eye steak and a side of mashed potatoes please."

June nodded and took their menus. "Alrighty then. I'll have that out for you shortly." With one last glare in Katara's direction, she walked away, leaving the two in silence.

"So," Katara started as she turned back to Aang. "What did you have in mind for getting me a new job? There are a lot of different places out there."

Aang nodded as he took a sip of his water. "Yeah, there are. But I was thinking about getting you one that would be quick so that way you can start getting the paychecks rolling in."

Katara smiled sadly. "Want to me get out of the house as soon as possible, huh?"

"What? Of course not!" Aang exclaimed, taking Katara by surprise at how defiant he was about the idea. "Like I said Katara, you're welcome to stay with me as long as you need to. I'd even be okay with letting you stay with me after you get back up on your feet."

Her sad smile turned into a happy one. "Really?"

He smiled back and reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "Really. I like having you around, Katara. As long as you want to stay with me, you're more than welcome to."

Katara sighed in relief and beamed at him. "Thank you, Aang. That means a lot to me."

"Me liking having you around, or me being willing to let you stay in my mansion for as long as you want?" he joked lightly, causing her to slap him playfully on the shoulder. "You know I'm just kidding. I truly enjoy having you around, Katara. You're not like any woman I've met before."

"And you're not like any man I've met before," Katara agreed with her smile intact. They stared into each others eyes for a few moments until Katara cleared her throat. "So, you were saying something about getting me a job quickly?"

Aang nodded as he re-folded his hands. "Yeah. So what I originally had in mind for you was to work at The Ice Palace, but they can't afford to hire anyone else as of right now, so I'll have to go with my second best option. If you're okay with it, we're going to have you work at one of my jewelry stores."

Katara's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" He nodded. "Are you sure? What if I break some of the products?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "If you break anything, then I'll cover whatever the costs are. It won't be a problem," he assured her.

"Okay then," she said reluctantly, still a little nervous about the idea. "Is it a hard job? I can't imagine it's an easy one."

"Well it depends on what you think 'easy' is," Aant shrugged. "You won't have to do any gem cuts or anything, you'll just help with sales and packaging the products. It shouldn't be hard, except for dealing with the rich snobs who buy from us."

Katara laughed at the disgust all over his face. "You've had some bad experiences with customers before, haven't you?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, unfortunately I have. Don't get me wrong, I've met a lot of people who are both rich _and_ nice, but there are always a few who are snobby and rude. They think that since they've got so much money that they can treat people however they want, so they act as if you're under their heel."

"That sounds like fun," Katara murmured sarcastically with a roll of her eyes as she looked down at her glass of water. Her eyes snapped back up to him as he put a hand on her shoulder, sending shivers down her spine at his touch.

"Don't worry about it too much," he told her with a gentle smile. "Those kinds of customers are rare, but they do happen here and there, so when they do come in just be polite until they leave. Then you can talk as badly about them as you want."

Katara smiled back as she looked into his eyes. "Okay, I think I can do that. What's your policy on jerks who try to hit on me, though? I'd like to know what I am and am not allowed to do in that kind of situation."

Aang thought about it for a moment. "Normally there's an actual policy of rules to which you're supposed to follow, but I'm the owner of the company. Whatever I say goes, so here are _my_ policies: If a guy tries to flirt with you, you can ask him to stop. If he continues, you can ask him to stop again. And if he tries it one more time after that, then you can kick him out of the store. There will be _no _harassment of my employees while I'm in charge."

"Okay. But what about if he tries touching me or something?" Katara wondered.

"Well first off, you can kick him out immediately. If you can't get him out, we'll have security hold him until I can get there to give him a good lesson to not do that kind of stuff to girls."

Katara looked at him in surprise. "'Give him a good lesson'? I didn't take you for a violent person, Aang."

"I'm not," he shook his head in agreement. "I'm not the kind of guy to get into fights and stuff, but I'm also not the kind of guy who let's guys walk all over women as if they owe them something. Especially when they're going as far as to touch you in a way that you're not comfortable with. All of the security guards at my stores know that I like to deal with these kinds of men personally in this city."

She couldn't help but be impressed. Katara had already thought Aang was a great man before, but now here he was, saying that he personally ensured that men who tried to take advantage of women wouldn't do it anymore. "Well that's very sweet of you, Aang. I don't know many men who would be willing to do that."

He shrugged with a smile as he looked at her. "What can I say? I just hate the thought of you guys being harassed by some idiot because he's too stupid to leave you alone. There's no way I would _ever_ let that go unanswered." He took another sip of his water. "If you don't mind, after we finish eating here, we could stop by the store I had in mind for you and show you around? See if you would like it?"

"I don't mind at all," she assured him with a smile. June finally came back with their food and put on a fake smile.

"Here you go. Mr. Iroh said it's on the house today," she told Aang with a real smile.

Aang shook his head quickly. "He does this every time I come here. Why won't he let me pay for one meal just once?"

June snickered and rolled her eyes. "Mr. White, you're like a son to him. And in his own words, he 'wouldn't charge his own son for a meal'," she explained.

He just sighed again and nodded. "Alright, fine. But tell him that if he ever needs jewelry that I can offer him a great discount on anything he would like."

"Why don't you tell me that yourself?" Iroh asked as he walked into the room. "You can go back out now, June. We've got more customers coming in." June nodded and walked out, unknowingly catching Iroh's attention as she walked away.

Aang rolled his eyes at him. "Iroh, you're _really_ still chasing after her? She's thirty years younger than you!"

Iroh chuckled as he looked back at him. "What can I say, Aang? The heart wants what the heart wants."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that her heart wants someone who's actually her age," Aang laughed, making Iroh laugh as well.

"Yes, you're probably right," Iroh agreed with a grin. "Doesn't hurt to try, though!" He finally noticed Katara sitting across from Aang, already digging into her meal. "And who is this pretty young lady? You finally got a date, did you?" Iroh asked with an elbow in Aang's gut.

Aang blushed and shook his head quickly. "No, this is my friend Katara. We were out running errands and she really wanted to come here, so that's why I asked for this favor."

"Okay Aang, whatever you say," Iroh laughed while giving him a 'I don't believe you for a second' look. He turned his attention to Katara. "So, how long have you known Aang, my dear?"

Katara looked up from her food and blushed in embarrassment from having a large piece of steak in her mouth. She quickly chewed and swallowed it before answering, "Since last night, sir."

Iroh looked more than a little surprised. "Really?" She nodded. He turned his attention back to Aang. "How did you meet?"

Aang looked to Katara who nodded. "She was out on the streets with her baby when I found them and offered to let them stay with me until she could get back up on her feet," he explained.

"I see," Iroh said as he stroked his beard in thought. "I'm assuming that you need a babysitter, then?" Aang nodded. "Well, I have a friend who's great with kids. Have you ever heard of Aunt Wu?"

"Yeah, I know Aunt Wu. She was my English teacher back in high school," Aang told him. "Though she kept trying to read our palms and tell us our fortunes. Never knew why she did that."

Iroh chuckled at the mention of fortunes. "When she wasn't teaching, she was running a fortune teller shop downtown. She's been doing that for years."

"Oh," Aang said in realization. "That makes sense. Well if she wants to, I'm sure she would be a great babysitter. Lord knows that she basically had to babysit my classmates, since they all acted like toddlers."

Iroh laughed heartily, making everyone else laugh in the process. "I suppose you're right. I'll give her a call real quick." He stepped quickly out of the room and returned a few minutes later. "Okay, she's in. She can come during the day, but she does her fortune telling at night, so you'll have to find someone else if you ever decide to go on an actual date."

Aang and Katara blushed in perfect sync. "Um… we'll be sure to do that," Aang laughed nervously, making Katara's heart pound that he didn't say anything about not wanting to go out with her.

Iroh smirked at the nervous looks on their faces. "Alright, well I've taken enough of your time. It was good seeing you, Aang." He opened his arms for a hug to which Aang gave him. "Don't let this one go without a fight, Aang. I can tell that you really like her," he whispered into Aang's ear. Aang didn't say anything for a moment, but nodded silently and broke from the hug. "Have fun you two!" Iroh called over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

Katara looked at Aang in confusion. "What was that about?"

Aang blushed and shook his head quickly. "Nothing. He just gave me some good advice is all." Katara looked more confused, but she let it drop and returned to their meals. After they finally finished eating, Aang left a more than generous tip on the table and offered his arm to her. "Shall we?"

She smiled widely and took it with a happy sigh. "We shall," she agreed as he led the way out of the restaurant, ready to show her her new potential job.

* * *

They finally pulled up to the store, making her gasp in amazement as she took it all in. Though the store was rather small, the inside was absolutely beautiful. It looked just as she expected a jewelry store to look. Aang opened the door for her and smiled. "So you like it?"

She nodded without taking her eyes off of it. "It's a beautiful store. Did you design this place?"

He shook his head as she took his hand and helped her out. "No, unfortunately I can't take credit for the design of this place, but I hired one of the best architects in the world to ensure that every building would be just as I wanted it." He led the way into the store and was greeted by a familiar face.

"Sup Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked as she finished boxing a ring for a gentleman.

Aang rolled his eyes and waited for her to complete the transaction before speaking. "Toph, I know you're my friend, but could you at least wait to call me that until you're off the clock? I do have a reputation to uphold for the company."

Toph just snorted in response. "Please, we both know that you don't actually care about that. You just don't want your girlfriend there to hear me call you that."

Aang and Katara both blushed heavily. "She's not my girlfriend," he muttered indignantly before putting a smile back on his face. "She's my new friend, Katara. I'm giving her a job here if she decides that she wants it, so how about you show her a little about what you do so she can make a decision while I go check on your boss?"

"Whatever," Toph shrugged as he walked to the back of the store. She looked over at Katara. "So you're Katara, huh?"

Katara became puzzled. "Um, yeah. How did you know that?"

Toph laughed and shook her head at her. "For one, he just told me your name was Katara, and two, he talked to me about you last night."

Katara blushed heavily again. "He did?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"He did," Toph agreed with a smirk. "I'm sure that you want me to tell you what he said about you, but I'm afraid I'm not a sell out. I'll let him tell you that himself." Katara pouted a little but understood. "Good. Now how about I give you the basics of what I do." She nodded in response and followed Toph around the store. "As you can see here, we have the best jewelry in the world, and at a more affordable price too. This job is pretty simple. We make sure that all the jewelry is properly secured until the customer comes to buy it. When they do, you have them pay for it and package it. I'll teach you the proper way to if you decide to take the job. I also help with inventory and I've been known to double as a security guard when needed." She paused to snicker. "Or more like whenever I want to, anyway."

A question popped into Katara's mind at Toph's words. "Is it true that Aang deals with guys who harass women personally?" she asked curiously.

"Yup," Toph snorted while rolling her eyes. "He won't let me do it because he would have to fire me according to his company rules, so he does it for me and the other women who work here."

Katara smiled at that, happy to know that Aang was telling the truth about what he had told her. "Oh, well that's really nice of him to do that. I don't know many business owners that are so personally invested in the business."

"Well it probably helps that his detective work trained him to be a really skilled fighter," Toph suggested. "He's used to fighting when necessary, and he's even done interrogation before." She led the way to the back of the room where lots of expensive jewelry was being placed on secure shelves. "As you can see here, this is our backstock, though we don't need too much of it. People don't buy diamond necklaces every day, after all."

"How much do you get paid?" Katara wondered.

Toph thought about it for a moment before she let out a bored sigh. "Around fifteen an hour."

Katara gasped in surprise. "That much just to sell jewelry? This seems like too easy of a job to make _that_ much."

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Toph laughed as she put a finger in her ear, making Katara groan in disgust. "If Twinkle Toes wants to pay me that much for doing so little, who am I to complain?"

"Why do you keep calling him Twinkle Toes?" Katara wondered as she looked around the room.

Toph shrugged with a wolfish grin. "He's pretty light on his feet, so I call him Twinkle Toes. Any other questions, Sugar Queen?"

Katara became confused. "'Sugar Queen'?" she asked incredulously.

"Because you're as sweet as sugar," Toph smirked while she led her over to what appeared to be the manager's office. Just as they reached it, the door opened to reveal Aang walking out.

"I'll be right back!" he called before turning around and coming face to face with Katara. "Oh, you're here. That works out perfectly." He motioned for the two to step in and he followed them. "Miss Agni, meet Katara Aqua, a friend of mine who needs a job."

"Please Aang, you can call me Ursa," she smiled with a hint of flirt in it, making Aang groan inwardly. "Now, Miss Aqua is it?" Katara nodded, feeling a little nervous at meeting her new potential boss. "Oh relax dear, come take a seat." Katara did as she was instructed and sat down across from her.

Ursa looked to Aang and Toph, "Would you two mind giving us a minute?" They nodded and walked out while shutting the door behind them. Ursa returned her attention to Katara. "So, you would like a job here?" Katara nodded quietly, not wanting to speak unless necessary. "Oh relax, dear. This is just a formality. You already have the job."

Katara's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Of course," Ursa laughed. "Aang speaks very highly of you and has ensured me that you're a quick learner. You will do very well here," she promised. "I just wanted to get to know you a little so we can get started on developing a good work relationship."

"Oh, I see," Katara nodded in understanding. "So, what did you want to know about me?"

Ursa thought about it for a moment. "Just tell me whatever you think is necessary. Who you are, what you like to do, anything that can give me a good feel for what kind of person you are," she explained.

Katara nodded and was silent in thought. "Well… I'm not from this city. I used to live in the South Pole as a kid but we decided to move to this country because it was warmer and had more chances of a better life. I like poetry and music, and I have an annoying older brother who I haven't seen for a while, but I love him anyway."

"Good. That information right there told me more about you than anything else you could have said," Ursa told her. "I think we'll get along just fine, Miss Aqua."

Katara smiled. "Thank you, Miss Agni."

Ursa waved her off. "It's no problem at all, dear."

As if on cue, Aang's head poked into the room. "Are you guys about finished up? We have some other errands to run."

"Yes, we're done here," Ursa smiled. She stuck her hand out to Katara. "Welcome aboard, Miss Aqua."

"Thank you again, Miss Agni," Katara said gratefully as she shook it.

"You can just call me Ursa, dear," Ursa said warmly. She returned her attention to Aang. "Have her here by nine tomorrow and we'll get her started."

Aang nodded with a smile and fake saluted her. "Yes Ma'am." He walked over and took Katara's hand, making her blush at the tingles that she felt whenever they touched. "Come on, Katara. One more stop and we can go home." He quickly pulled her out of the room with a wave over his shoulder. "Bye Toph! Bye Ursa! We'll see you tomorrow!" And with that, they were gone.

Ursa turned to Toph. "She likes him, does she?" she asked with a smirk.

Toph snorted and nodded. "Yup. It's written all over her face, especially when he grabbed her hand. Her face might as well have been a rose," she joked.

"You're right," Ursa laughed back before shaking her head. "Alright, back to work for you, Miss Bei Fong. I need you to go over inventory for me."

Toph fake saluted her. "Yes Ma'am," she responded sarcastically. Without another word, she walked out the door and got back to work.

* * *

A few hours later after getting everything Katara would need for Kya, they made it back home and got everything out of the car before walking inside. They were greeted by a smiling On Ji sitting on the couch watching tv with Kya in her arms. "Hey guys! How did it go?"

Aang smiled as he walked in. "It went just fine. Thank you for watching Kya while we were out. We've gotten a permanent babysitter, so you won't have to worry about it anymore."

On Ji put on a fake smile, unhappy that she wouldn't have an excuse to see Aang. "That's great!" she lied through her teeth, sending Katara a glare who gulped in nervousness.

Aang looked over to Katara with a smile. "Here let me take those for you and I'll bring them up to your room." Katara smiled back and nodded before handing him her bags. "I'll be right back." He quickly ran up the stairs, leaving Katara and On Ji in an awkward silence.

"So, you like Aang do you?" On Ji didn't bother trying to hide the jealousy in her voice.

Katara blushed heavily. "Um.. I-"

"Save it!" On Ji growled. "Stay away from him or else. Got it?" Before Katara could answer, Aang came back down and she put her fake smile back on. "Hey Aang! I should probably get going, I need to go feed my cats. I'll see you later!" she told him cheerily while giving him a hug before walking out the door. Just as it was about to close, she glared through the crack at Katara and shut it, leaving her and Aang in bewilderment as he had noticed the glare too.

"What's her problem?" Aang asked curiously.

Katara shrugged and looked away, trying to hide the burning blush on her cheeks. "I don't know, but it seems like she's got problems if you ask me."

"Yeah, unfortunately it seems like she does," he reluctantly agreed. Finally shrugging it off, he walked over and held Kya who smiled at him. "Your daughter really is beautiful, you know. Almost as beautiful as you are." They both blushed as he realized what he said, but he just acted like nothing had happened.

"Well thank you," Katara said shyly as she took Kya from him.

"No problem," Aang chuckled sheepishly. _Do it, Aang. Just take a chance. What's the worst thing that can happen?_ He shook his head at himself. _She could turn me down and let the rest of the time we spend together be awkward because she didn't feel the same,_ he countered himself. The other part of him didn't care at all for his excuse. _Or maybe she could be the one. You'll never know if you don't try. Just do it!_ "Um… Katara?" he asked nervously.

She smiled warmly at him. "Yeah, Aang?"

He rubbed his neck nervously. It had been such a long time since he had done this, but there was no backing out now. "I was just wondering…"

Katara laughed a little at his nervousness. "What is it, Aang?"

He took a deep breath and looked up into her eyes. "Would you… maybe… want to go out on a date sometime?" he asked quickly and shut his eyes, ready for the sting of rejection.

Katara positively beamed at him. "I would love to, Aang!"

"Really?" he asked in disbelief as his eyes shot open.

"Of course!" Katara laughed. "I… like you, Aang."

Aang smiled widely. "Well, I like you too, Katara," he admitted with a blush, making her smile even more.

"Well then, you mentioned something about a date?" Katara asked excitedly, not expecting this to happen at all.

He nodded quickly with his smile intact. "Yeah, I'd love to take you out to a nice restaurant sometime. Maybe… next Friday?"

Katara nodded eagerly. "That sounds great to me!"

Aang couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. "Great! I'd say I'll pick you up, but I don't really think that'll be necessary," he joked, making her giggle.

"Yeah I guess you're right," she agreed and walked up to him before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm looking forward to it very much."

"Me too," Aang agreed with a smile. Kya started crying, much to Katara's displeasure, but Aang just smiled. "It's okay, she's probably pretty hungry. I'll be down here if you need me."

Katara nodded and gave him another kiss on the cheek. "Okay, I'll see you in a little bit. Bye," she waved with a big smile on her face as she walked up the stairs. Aang waved back with the same smile and she made her way up to her room, closing the door behind her before letting her happiness take her over. "Yes!" she cheered, feeling freshly renewed at Aang asking her out on a date. With her newfound confidence, she quickly fed Kya and laid her down for a nap, feeling tiredness overcome her as well. "Maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt," she yawned as she wrapped Kya in her arms, and slowly drifted into a peaceful sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: The Date

Chapter 4: The Date

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

Several days later, it was finally Friday, the day that Katara had been not-so patiently awaiting. Or as she was more excited about, the day that she would go on a date with Aang. She had originally been hesitant, scared of trying to find love again and the pain that could come with it, but she knew that Aang wasn't like any other man she had ever met. If she had a chance of ever finding love again, than it would be with Aang. She smiled as she thought of him. He was such a gentleman and so polite, and not to mention good-looking too. If he was as perfect in every department as she had seen, she wondered if he was perfect in… _that_ department too. She blushed heavily as she thought about it and felt herself get a little wet, but she quickly stopped herself. The last thing she needed at the moment was to have soaked panties in the middle of the workday. Shaking her head at herself, she looked over to Toph who was bored with her hand on her chin as she leaned against the counter. "Wow," Katara laughed as she noticed Toph had fallen asleep. "You must be pretty bored." Toph didn't respond, as she was still asleep. Smirking as an evil plan formed in her mind, she quickly made her way to the bathroom and came back out with some toilet paper in her hands. Checking again to make sure she was asleep, Katara took the toilet paper and wrapped it around Toph's head, almost completely covering it except for the mouth and eyes so she could breathe and see. Satisfied with her work, she put the toilet paper back and finally decided to wake her up. Making her way out the door, she opened it so softly that the bell wouldn't chime and stood out before walking back in, allowing the bell to chime loudly.

"What?" Toph snapped to attention as she slowly woke up. Her sleepiness prevented her from realizing why she felt a lot warmer on her head than everyone else until she noticed Katara laughing. "What are you laughing at, Sugar Queen?"

Katara's laughs quieted down but remained in the form of a snicker. "Nothing Toph, you've just got a little something on your head." Toph became confused and felt the top of her head before pulling down a bit of toilet paper. "Oh, and I should mention on the rest of your head as well."

Toph frowned and walked over to a nearby mirror and gasped as she saw her toilet paper-covered head. She turned back to Katara with a grin as she took it off. "Good job, Sugar Queen. I'll be honest, it was ameteur work, but it's a good start. I'll teach you everything I know so you can step up your game."

"Sounds good to me," Katara grinned right back. A customer walked in and Katara and Toph hurried back to their positions. "Hello sir," she greeted him politely. "What can we do for you?"

Zuko nodded to them. "I need the best ring you've got in stock. My hopefully future fiance deserves nothing but the best, so what do you have?"

Toph reached down and brought out a twenty-four karat gold ring with a huge diamond in the middle, making Katara gasp at how beautiful it was. "This here is our most expensive one. The ring itself is made of solid gold while the diamond is perfectly cut and was harvested from a mine down in South Africa."

He picked it up and admired it in the light. "How much?" he asked without taking his eyes off of it.

"Five million," Toph told him, completely ready for him to say that he couldn't afford it.

"I'll take it," he said, taking them both by surprise.

"Really?" Katara couldn't help but ask. He seemed like someone with money, but he didn't seem like he had _that _much.

Zuko nodded, doing his best not to get offended by her surprise at his ability to buy it. "Yeah, I'll take it. And I'll also take my friends and family discount."

Toph raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry? We don't have a discount like that here. It's against corporate policy."

Zuko rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, dialing a number and listening to it ring. "Aang, yeah I need to get that ring I was telling you about and your employees won't give me the friends and family discount."

"Well let's take care of that," Aang said as he walked in. He smiled as he saw Katara who smiled happily back. "Hey Kat. Hey Toph."

"Sup Twinkle Toes," Toph responded with a nod in his direction.

Zuko couldn't help but snicker at her nickname for him. "'Twinkle Toes'?" he asked in disbelief.

Aang glared at him. "You want your discount, don't you?" Zuko nodded quickly with a gulp. "That's what I thought." He returned his attention to Toph. "Yeah, I know it's against corporate policy, but I _am_ the owner and everything, so we'll give him twenty percent off."

Zuko gave him a pleading look. "Can't I have any more of a discount? Father isn't paying me again until next week."

"Sorry buddy," Aang patted him on the back. "Twenty percent off is coming close to just breaking even. If I did any more of a discount, there would be no profit."

Zuko sighed and nodded in understanding. "Okay… I'll take it with the discount." He looked at Aang gratefully. "Thanks for the help, man."

Aang grinned and clapped him on the back, making Zuko wince as he felt the mark that was left from it. "Hey, what else are best friends for?" He returned his attention to Toph. "Why don't you ring up Zuko over at the other end of the counter. I need to have a little talk with Katara," he told her, making Katara nervous. Was he going to back out of their date? Had he decided he just didn't want to be with someone who already had a kid?

"Okay, Twinkle Toes," Toph sighed before grabbing Zuko by the collar and dragging him over to the other side of the counter. Katara's worry started to get to her, but all her fears evaporated when he gave her a warm smile, making her troubles vanish into thin air.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I just wanted to ask you where you would like to go for our date."

Katara became confused. "You want _me_ to pick where we go on a date?" He nodded with his smile intact. She thought about it for a moment. "Well, where would you suggest we go?"

"Well…" he started thoughtfully. "There are three of the most exclusive and fancy restaurants in town. There's a place that's ice-themed and is owned by Yue's parents-"

"I wouldn't suggest going there," Katara interrupted, not wanting to be rude but also knowing that going there on a date wouldn't go well.

He raised a brow in confusion. "Why not?"

She was hesitant for a moment before she admitted, "Yue still wants you, and going to a restaurant owned by her parents on a date might make her angry."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really?" She nodded before looking down, expecting him to call off the date to be with her. He sighed with a roll of his eyes. "I'll have to talk to her about that. I'm sorry that I was the one who broke her heart, but I don't think of her like that anymore."

Katara's face lifted. "Really?"

"Yeah," he smiled as he looked her in the eyes. "I'm into someone else now," he winked, making her blush but smiled happily back. Shaking his head, he got back to the topic at hand. "Okay, so that one's out. Then there's a place called the Flameos who are known for their fancy flaming dishes."

Katara made a face. "I think I'm good. Fire and me don't mix well," she told him, making him raise an eyebrow at her curiously. "Let's just say I'm not a fan of fire."

He shrugged and nodded in understanding. "Okay, well if you don't like fire, then there's the last place I know of which is called the Waves."

Her curiosity peaked. "The Waves?" He nodded. She thought about it for a moment before she shrugged. "Sure. It sounds like it would be interesting."

"Good," he smiled. "I'll make a call and make sure we've got the renovations." He walked into the back room to make the call leaving her alone to her thoughts. She was happy that he hadn't decided to back out on their date, but she couldn't help but wonder if other girls would get in their way. Aang obviously was highly sought after in this city, but she hoped that they wouldn't interfere with them. A minute later, Aang came back with his smile in place. "Alright, we're all good to go. I've got an in with the owner, so we'll have the best table in the house."

Katara giggled a little. "It seems like you've got connections everywhere. I guess money talks, huh?' she teased.

He just laughed good-naturedly and shook his head. "No, he's an old friend of my father's, and that makes him an old friend of mine. And not just because he's old enough to be my grandpa," he joked, making her giggle again as he smiled, loving the sound of chiming bells that she called a laugh.

"I guess so," she finally said after her giggles quieted down. She looked at the time and saw that it was ten til five. "Oh, I guess we're almost done here. Is that why you're here?"

Aang grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I figured that since I had just finished up a case that I could come and pick you up early. Besides, I wanted to talk to my favorite employee," told her with a wink. Katara smiled widely and barely held herself back from kissing him. "So, how do you like it so far?"

"It's actually a pretty good job," she admitted with a smile. "Toph's fun to be with, even if her nickname for me annoys me, but other than that, we get along really well. She's shown me basically everything there is to do around here, and in a few weeks or so I bet I'll be just as good at her at this job if not better."

"Good," Aang smiled. "I'm sure you will." He leaned in closer to whisper, "Especially because I know that _you_ won't fall asleep while on the job."

"I heard that Twinkles!" Toph called as she finished boxing up Zuko's ring.

Katara looked at Toph in bewilderment. "How did she hear you?" she asked him in amazement.

He laughed and shrugged. "For some reason, she has the best hearing in a person I've ever seen. No idea why, but she could hear a pencil drop from fifty feet away. And let me tell you, you can't say _anything_ that you don't want others to know while you're around her, otherwise she'll find out and use it against you."

"He's right!" Toph yelled as she gave Zuko his receipt.

"Got it," Katara murmured with a roll of her eyes. Looking up at the clock, she saw that it was now time to go. "Oh! I'm going to go clock out and then we can get going."

"Okay, I'll be right here waiting for you," he responded simply. She smiled and walked quickly to the room before punching out and making her way back to Aang. "Shall we?" Aang offered his arm to her. She took it with a smile and followed him out to the car, ready to go back home to get ready for their date.

* * *

A couple hours later, Aang and Katara pulled up to The Waves, seeing that it was already packed. "Wow," Katara breathed as she admired the building. It was ocean blue and three stories high, each floor lit up with fancy chandeliers. Aang opened the door for her and offered his hand which she took with a smile. "You're such a gentleman, you know," she told him with her smile in place.

He laughed a little. "Well thanks. I try my best to treat women how they deserve to be treated."

She smiled again and kissed his cheek. "Well you're doing a great job. I honestly thought chivalry was dead before I met you."

"It seems to be dying out, unfortunately," he agreed with a sad smile. "But if I ever have a son, then he'll be raised as a gentleman and his son after until hopefully there's no shortage of gentlemen in the world."

Katara smiled at him. "You want to have children?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"Of course I do," Aang laughed as they started making their way through the crowds. "Children might be a pain in the butt sometimes, but I love playing with them and making their days a little brighter. Being with them makes me forget about my adult troubles for a little bit and makes me feel young again."

She giggled a little. "But you _are _young. You can't be older than twenty six."

He nodded. "I actually am twenty six," he told her, catching her by surprise that she had gotten it dead on.

"Wow. I can't believe I got that right," she said in amazement. They finally made it up to the head desk and waited patiently for someone to come up. A few minutes later, a young lady walked up and smiled at them.

"Hi Mr. White!" she waved with a flirty wink, making Katara growl lowly in her throat. "I see you made a reservation here." She looked to his right and noticed Katara with narrowed eyes. She put on a fake smile as she stuck out her hand. "I'm Koko."

Katara shook it with just as fake a smile. "Katara." Koko nodded and returned her attention to Aang.

"Now, if you would follow me?" Grabbing a couple menus, she walked away with Katara and Aang not far behind. They made their way through the crowded restaurant, admiring the fancy paintings and exquisite marble statues of sea animals as they went. After a few minutes of walking, Koko opened a door to a private room that made Katara gasp. It was absolutely beautiful. The room was painted a beautiful midnight blue and had a single chandelier with candles hanging above it. The table had two chairs opposite each other and a white table cloth with a candle in the middle. Aang laughed a little at the look of pure amazement on her face and nudged her a little, inviting her to sit down as he pulled a chair out for her. She blushed a little in embarrassment from being so surprised by a room, but smiled and took her seat while he pushed her in. He made his way over to his seat and began looking at the menu as she did the same. Koko waited no-so-patiently as she glared at Katara who didn't notice because she was trying to figure out what she wanted. "What can I start you off to drink?"

Aang looked up to her. "I'll have a glass of Merlot, please," he ordered politely. She nodded with a smile and turned to Katara with a frown.

Katara cleared her throat, feeling tiny under the death glare that she was currently receiving. "I'll have a glass of chardonnay, please." Koko wrote it down and waited for them to finish looking. A few minutes later, they both put their menus down and put their orders in.

"Okay, I'll be back soon with your drinks," Koko plastered on one last fake smile before walking out, leaving Aang confused.

"What's _her_ deal?" he thought aloud. Katara laughed a little while he raised an eyebrow.

"What, you're serious?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded slowly, still not sure what exactly was going on. She smiled at him. "You know, for a brilliant detective, you sure don't know how to tell when a girl is jealous over you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would anyone be jealous over me? I'm just a regular guy who likes to do regular things."

Katara couldn't stop herself from chuckling a little. "A regular guy, huh? Regular guys aren't super good-looking, rich, funny, sweet, and a gentleman. So no, you're definitely not a regular guy."

Aang blushed a little but shrugged. "If you say so." He looked straight into her eyes, captivating her instantly as his stormy gray collided with her ocean blue. "So, tell me more about yourself."

It took her a minute to get out of her daze from being pulled in by his eyes, but she shook her head and smiled. "Well, I'm originally from the South Pole, but my father wanted my brother and I to have a better life than just living in an igloo for the rest of our lives, so he decided to move up here and we eventually settled in a city not far from here."

"What was the name of the city?" he wondered.

She thought about it for a moment before she snapped her fingers. "Omashu. We lived in Omashu."

Aang nodded thoughtfully. "Good to know. We'll have to start there for when we try to find your family. Maybe we can hire a personal detective to go find them."

"Yeah, maybe," she agreed, not really wanting to talk about her family right now from her guilt at having abandoned them. "Anyway, I also like to swim, I love music, and I've been known to be a decent cook."

He smiled. "I'm sure you are. I bet you could even beat Ty Lee in baking," he joked, making her laugh.

"Maybe in baking, but not in cooking," she giggled. Once her giggles had settled, she smiled warmly at him. "So, how about you tell me more about yourself?"

"Well…" he started thoughtfully. "There's not a lot to tell that you don't already know. As I've told you before, I come from a rich family who do their best to treat other people right, I have a lot of friends throughout the city, so I often have access to whatever I need. I love to make people laugh and smile and I am a horrible cook," he admitted, making her laugh more.

"Oh come on, you can't be _that_ bad," she shook her head at him.

He nodded insistently. "Maybe I wouldn't be if I didn't burn everything I touch, but I do and I usually end up making it worse."

"But what about the food you brought me on my first morning there?" she asked curiously. "That wasn't burned."

Aang laughed and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Well, I burned the first set of food and took extra care not to burn the one you actually got. If I didn't burn things so easily, then I might be a decent cook."

Katara smiled at him. "Well I can teach you how to not burn food sometime," she offered teasingly, making him laugh a little.

"Yeah, that would be nice," he agreed with a grin. "So, how has my room been? Do you have everything you need for the bathroom and everything?" he inquired.

She nodded with a small smile, touched that he wanted to make sure she had everything she needed. "Yep, I have what I need. Thank you, though." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down and smiling at the deep blush on his face. Right then Koko came back with their drinks.

"Here you go!" she said cheerily. "I'll be back soon with your food." She smiled at Aang and gave Katara another glare before walking away.

Aang took a sip of his wine. "Ah. It's been a while since I've had wine. I'm glad that they serve wine here."

Katara enjoyed a sip of hers as well and nodded in agreement. "Me too. This is some of the best wine I've ever had."

"Well, it better be at thirty dollars per glass," he chuckled, making her eyes widen in surprise.

"What?" she almost shrieked in surprise, looking at the glass and wondering if she could return it for a water.

Aang laughed and put a hand on her hand, making her freeze instantly as his warmth crept up her arm. "Katara, relax. I'm rich, remember? There's nothing to worry about." She still didn't look sure, so he grabbed her hand and gave it a kiss, making her blush all the way down to her neck. "Don't worry about the prices. There's nothing here that I can't afford."

"I know that," she conceded. "But I still feel bad. I don't want you spending so much money on me," she admitted.

"And why shouldn't I?" he asked curiously. "Do you think that you don't deserve it?" Katara was silent, giving him the answer he needed. He sighed and took her chin with his finger. "Katara, I don't know why you're thinking this way, but let me assure you. You absolutely deserve this."

Katara was still reluctant. "What makes you so sure of that? I got kicked out of my home for some reason. Maybe I'm just not a good person," she whispered as she looked down sadly. Without thinking, Aang took her face in his hands and smashed his lips against hers, taking her by surprise as her eyes widened and then sunk closed in bliss, finally getting what she had been wanting since the night she met him. After he finally realized what he was doing, he quickly pulled away and blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly with his blush intact, not daring to meet her eyes.

"What for?" Katara asked in a mixture of breathless and dreamy.

He laughed a little at the dreamy look on her face and shook his head. "I shouldn't have done that, but I wanted to show you that I think that you're a great person. I don't kiss girls who I don't think are great, so don't _ever_ think that you're not. If I didn't think you were a wonderful person, I wouldn't be here on this date with you." He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry that what happened in your past has affected you so deeply, but you need to know this." He took her hand and squeezed it. "You're an amazing person Katara. I hate seeing that you think otherwise, but I understand that you've been through a lot. Don't ever doubt that you are an amazing person, because saying anything else would be a lie. Okay?"

Katara stared down at her lap for a moment, trying to process his words. She knew that it wasn't really her fault for what had happened between her and Jet, but she still couldn't help but feel like she had done something wrong for Jet to cheat on her. She looked up into Aang's eyes and saw the deep care he had for her, and she made a decision then. "Okay," she finally agreed, feeling her past guilt and old feelings of self-hatred finally go away. It was time for her to let them go. She had done nothing wrong, and she would not allow herself to let her life become worse because of her own doubts. Aang had made it clear. She was a good person. Great even, according to him. It was time to let go of the past and look to the future. She smiled at him. As long as he was a part of her future, then she would be just fine. "You're right. I'm sorry, it just took some time for me to get used to not blaming myself."

"There's nothing to apologize for," he assured her with a smile. "I understand, but I just can't let you go on thinking that you did something wrong. You're an amazing person, Kat. As sorry as I am that you had to go through what you did, I'm sort of glad that it happened."

She looked at him curiously. "You are?" He nodded. "Why?" she asked in confusion.

"Because then I might not have gotten this chance with you," he admitted, making her smile happily at him as he wouldn't meet her eyes. "I wish you didn't have to be out on the streets for a year, but I have to admit, I'm glad that I'm getting this chance with you."

Katara had to hold herself back from kissing him. It was taking a lot out of her not to, but she knew this wasn't the right time. _He kissed _you _first_, she reminded herself. _How about you even the score a little?_ She smiled and was about to start leaning in when Koko came back with their food.

"Here you go!" she told Aang happily. "If you guys need anything else, I'll be right over there." She pointed to the podium where she normally waited. She looked back at Aang. "And I mean _anything_," she winked before walking out of the room, making Katara growl again.

Aang laughed at her obvious jealousy and placed a hand on hers, once again making her freeze at the sudden contact. "Katara, there's no need to be jealous. I'm not interested in anyone but you."

She smiled hopefully at him. "Really?"

"Of course," he chuckled as he stared into her eyes. "I'm not the kind of guy to go after more than one girl at a time. I like _you_, Katara. I'm not just going to leave you for some girl who I don't even know."

Katara couldn't help but smile as she stared into his eyes. _Maybe, just maybe he's the One…_ she thought while they stared into her eyes. What she didn't know was that Aang was thinking exactly the same thing. Finally snapping out of their trances, they returned their attention to their food and talked more about their lives.

"And then Zuko got his head stuck in a fish tank," he laughed between breaths of air, both of them trying desperately to regain oxygen in their lungs from having laughed too hard at his story of his best friend.

Katara took a deep breath as she attempted to settle her laughs, but found that she couldn't. "How did he get _stuck_ in it though? Does he have a bigger head than I thought?" she asked with a sharp laugh.

Aang grinned. "It sure seems that way, but he blames it on the fact that he had peanut butter in his hair and that it somehow got stuck against the inside of the tank."

"How did you get him out before he drowned?" Katara asked curiously as her laughs finally settled down into giggles.

"We just kept yanking him until his head came unstuck, but to our not much surprise there was no peanut butter in his hair," Aang laughed, making her laugh a little harder until tears were streaming down her face. He smiled as he watched her try in vain to settle her laugh and just enjoyed her presence, wishing this moment would never end.

Katara's laughs finally settled down as she smiled at him. "Well, it seems like you've had some interesting experiences in college, huh?"

"You could say that," he agreed with a smile. He checked his watch and saw that it was almost ten o' clock. "Oh, we should probably get going. I promised Aunt Wu that she could be out of there by ten."

She sighed sadly, not wanting to leave just yet but she understood. "Okay, let's go." He smiled and offered his hand after paying the bill and a generous tip. She took it with a smile and followed him out to his car. Ten minutes later, they pulled in his driveway and walked quickly to the door.

* * *

"Aunt Wu?" Aang called as he held the door open for Katara who rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek. Aunt Wu came bounding down the stairs in a hurry. "Again, thank you for watching her at night. I'll be sure to put an extra hundred dollars in your check."

Aunt Wu waved him off as she put her coat on. "It's no problem at all, dearie. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have fortunes to tell." She opened the door and remembered something. "I put Kya in one of the rooms on the East wing. I didn't know which room was hers." And with that, she walked out and closed the door, leaving Aang and Katara in silence.

Aang laughed a little and shrugged. "That's Aunt Wu, for you."

Katara smiled. "Yeah, she seems like she's an interesting person."

"Yeah, she is," Aang agreed with a grin. "At least she's calmed down since I was in school." Katara laughed and followed him up the stairs as he made his way up, looking in each room until they finally found her.

"Hi honey," Katara cooed as she picked Kya up who smiled at her. "Did you have fun with Aunt Wu?"

Kya babbled and smiled, making Katara's heart melt as she looked at her precious daughter. "I think she did," Aang chuckled as he moved next to Katara and stared down at Kya. "She's just as beautiful as her mother," he murmured, making Katara blush and smile at him as she rocked Kya in her arms.

"Come on. I should go put Kya to sleep," Katara nudged him for him to follow her. He nodded and followed her to his room where she was surprised to see a cradle set up next to her bed. "When did this happen?" she asked curiously.

Aang smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess it got here while we were on our date. I'll have to thank Aunt Wu for setting it up for us."

"Yeah, I will too," she agreed with a smile as she set Kya down and wrapped her in a blanket, stroking her little head until she finally fell asleep. She turned back to Aang with a smile. "Come on. I'll walk you to your room." He smiled and nodded as he walked out of the room and to his door. When they got there, he turned around and was surprised to find Katara's lips on his, but he enjoyed it all the same. After a few moments, she pulled back and smiled at him. "Thank you for an amazing date. I haven't had that much fun in years."

He grinned and gave her another kiss. "Well good, I'm glad. Does this mean you would go on another one?" he asked with a little worry. She smiled and answered him with another kiss, feeling the surge of electricity shooting through her, making her come alive as she tasted his lips. His lips tasted so sweet, and she couldn't help herself from deepening it. Not that he was complaining. She moaned against his lips as the kiss became quicker, almost as if they were desperate to savor each others' taste. Katara backed him up against the door, wanting to get as close to him as possible. She knew that she should stop, because she knew where it likely would lead to if she didn't stop, but no part of her wanted to anyway. The kiss became heated and hungry with passion, and Katara felt the burning heat go down between her legs. She broke the kiss and opened the door and dragged him inside. "Um, Katara? What are you doing?" She answered with another kiss and started rubbing him through his pants, making him harden a little. "Katara, we just had our first date. You really want to do this?" he asked as he pulled away breathlessly.

She nodded quickly. "Of course I do. I really like you, Aang," she admitted somewhat bashfully despite having just rubbed his groin.

"I don't know Katara…" he said unsurely. She kissed him again and all reason blew from his mind, feeling his lust start to take him over.

"I need you, Aang," she whispered huskily into his ear, making him shiver a little. Finally having enough, he kissed her and undressed each other quickly, ready to take the night as theirs.


	5. Chapter 5: Reuniting a Family

Chapter 5: Reuniting a Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

A few months later, Aang and Katara grew closer as Katara became more settled in her life. She was quickly becoming the store's best employee, making even Toph congratulate her as she figured out a better way to have the products shipped to the store. Kya was growing and was well taken care of while they were there, making Katara the happiest she had been in a long time, if ever. Her life was perfect. She had a perfect boyfriend, an amazing daughter, and a great job. Everything was so great that she had almost forgotten about her family. Almost.

What she didn't know was that Aang had hired a private investigator to find her family and was waiting for any word of success from them. One night, Katara and Aang were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie together, enjoying being in each others' presence. "I can't believe you've never seen this before," she shook her head in disbelief as they watched _The Bourne Identity_.

He shrugged as he held her closer, making her smile up at him. "What can I say? I've never had much time to watch movies, so I've never been able to."

"And now you have time to?" she asked curiously.

Aang looked down at her with a smile. "I always have time for watching movies if it's with you," he told her honestly, making her smile and reward him with a kiss on the cheek.

"It's a great movie," she said as she returned her attention to it. "My brother and I used to watch it all the time back when I was in high school."

"It _does_ seem pretty good so far," he admitted as he watched it. "It kind of reminds me of my job, except that I'm not on the run from government agencies or killing people."

Katara giggled and looked up at him. "I'm glad that you're not, because then I wouldn't be able to see you as much."

Aang grinned and looked down at her. "Yeah, I'm pretty happy about that, too." She smiled and kissed him, enjoying his taste before Aang's phone started buzzing. Curious, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the number as his eyes widened.

"Who is it?" Katara asked curiously as she tried to look at the number.

"Hold on, I'll be right back," he promised before gently removing her and walking out of the room, making Katara sigh at losing the comfort being in his arms gave her. A few minutes later, Aang came back with a big smile on his face. "We found them!"

Katara looked confused for a moment. "You found who?"

Aang laughed and sat back down on the couch and pulled her into his arms before kissing her head. "I hired a private investigator to track down your family. They gave me your brother's number so that we can get in contact with them."

"Really?" Katara asked in disbelief with a hint of nervousness in her voice. Aang nodded with a smile. "That's great," Katara said less than enthusiastically.

He looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong, Kat? Don't you want to see your family?"

Katara nodded slowly and sighed. "Of course I do. It's just… I don't know if they'll even want to talk to me. I kind of abandoned them when I married Jet. How do I know that they won't just turn their backs on me like I did to them?" she asked fearfully.

"They won't, Katara," he assured her with a kiss on her head.

"What makes you so sure about that?" Katara questioned seriously as she looked up into his eyes. "They probably hate me right now, and I can't blame them."

Aang smiled sadly and hugged her tighter, making her sadness lessen slightly. "They're you're family, Katara. They might be a little upset with you, but they don't hate you. No real family could ever hate someone they love. Especially not your father," he added, knowing that was who she was thinking about.

Katara sighed and snuggled into him. "I hope so." She paused and looked up to him. "So, what's the next step?"

"Well, whenever you're ready, we'll give your brother a call and see if we can meet up sometime," Aang shrugged as he resumed watching the movie. "If I can convince them, I'd like for them to come here and see the city."

Katara looked at him curiously. "Why do you want them to see the city?"

He rubbed his neck nervously. "Well… I know how much you miss them, and I thought that if they liked it here, then maybe I could convince them to move here," he admitted, taking her by surprise as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Really?" He nodded slowly, not wanting to meet her gaze. She flipped herself over and kissed him fiercely, taking him completely by surprise as her lips crashed into his. His surprise was evident on his face, but he enjoyed the kiss and kissed her back. After a few moments, she pulled back and smiled warmly at him. "That would be amazing."

Aang looked at her in disbelief. "You actually like my idea?" She nodded with her smile intact. "Really?" he repeated, making sure he wasn't hearing her wrong.

Katara laughed a little and kissed him again. "Yeah, I would love it. It's been so long since I've seen them, if they lived in the same city, I could see them whenever I want to."

"Okay," Aang let out a sigh of relief as he looked her in the eyes. "I'm glad that you're not against it."

"Why would I be?" Katara asked in bewilderment.

He shrugged. "I don't know. You just seemed so nervous about _talking_ to them again, let alone having them move here. I wasn't sure if you would be okay with it or not."

"If I can smooth things out with them, then yes, I would love to have them live here," she promised him with a smile. "I've missed them so much since the last time I saw them."

He smiled and pulled out his phone before dialing a number for her. "Well, if you want you can call your brother right now," he offered.

She was silent for a moment, not knowing what to do. Of course she wanted to talk to them, but she was still hesitant to take that step. _Come on, Kat. You can do this,_ she assured herself. Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly and took the phone from him. He gave her a reassuring smile as she pressed the call button and put it against her ear, waiting anxiously as she heard it ring. A few rings later, the phone picked up. "Hello? This is Sokka Aqua."

Katara was silent for another moment before she took a deep breath. "Sokka?"

There was dead silence on the other line until she heard a strangled gasp. "Katara? Is that really you?" he asked in disbelief.

She smiled a little and bit her lip. "Yeah, it's me."

"How's it going? How've you been? Is everything alright?" he asked a little desperately.

"I'm fine, Sokka," she assured him as she played with her hair nervously. "I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in so long-"

"A year and a half," Sokka cut in angrily.

"I know, I know," Katara sighed sadly, not wanting to explain the situation but knowing she would have to. "I would have called, but I couldn't."

Sokka was silent for a moment. "What do you mean you couldn't? Jet told us that you took your stuff and stormed out of his house. How could you not be able to get in contact with us?" he asked seriously.

"Of course Jet would say that," Katara grumbled as she rolled her eyes. "I didn't leave Jet, Jet kicked me out when he found out I was pregnant. I was out on the streets for a year."

Sokka gasped. "You have a kid?" Katara nodded, then realized he wouldn't be able to see it.

"Yeah," she responded meekly, fearing his reaction.

"Awesome!" Sokka cheered, taking Katara by surprise. "I'm an uncle!" Then what she had originally said hit him like a ton of bricks as he felt rage enter his system. "Wait a minute… did you say he kicked you out when he found out you were pregnant?"

"Yeah," Katara repeated herself, ready for Sokka to explode. Fortunately for her, he barely managed to rein in his anger.

"I'm going to kill him," he promised with a hiss. "And then I"m going to cut his corpse to pieces and feed him to the wolves."

Katara sighed. "Sokka calm down. Everything's fine now."

"Everything is _not_ fine, Katara! You're out on the streets with my niece!" he objected angrily, making her happy that he still cared about her so deeply.

"I'm not on the streets anymore, Sokka," she told him with a smile at Aang. "I found a place to stay for a while."

Sokka was silent for a moment before he finally spoke up. "Well that's good. Is it a friend of yours that you're staying with?" he wondered.

"Uh… well he was a friend at first…" she trailed off reluctantly, waiting for Sokka to explode again. She wasn't disappointed.

"YOU'RE LIVING WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND?!" He all but screamed over the phone. "What are you thinking?!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Sokka, he's not like any other guy I've met before. He's really nice and is taking care of me and Kya."

Sokka was silent for a moment, and she could almost hear the sniffle coming from his nose. "You named her Kya?"

"Yeah…" she sighed sadly, thinking of her mother.

"Alright, we're coming to meet you guys wherever you are," he decided as she heard him taking out a piece of paper and a pen. "What's your address?" She gave it to him as he became surprised. "You're still in New Ozai?"

Katara rolled her eyes at her brother, enjoying the feeling of being back in their loop. "Yes, Sokka. It's not exactly like I had the money to get out of town at the time. And now that I'm with my boyfriend, I'm not going anywhere," she told him while smiling at Aang who smiled back.

Sokka groaned. "Okay, whatever. Tell this boyfriend of yours that he better treat you right or I'll kill him, too." Aang gulped as he heard this and nodded.

"He heard you," Katara told him with a laugh as she looked at Aang's scared face.

"He's there right now?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah," Katara responded reluctantly, knowing exactly what he was going to ask.

"Put him on the phone," he demanded, making Aang gulp again.

Katara shook her head at her brother. "Sokka, you can threaten him all you want when you're here. For now, I'm going to spare him the long big brother lecture okay?"

Sokka was silent for a moment before he finally gave in. "Fine," he grumbled. "When can we come see you?" Katara looked to Aang who shrugged in response.

"I guess whenever you can come down," she responded nervously, already feeling fear creep into her heart of what her father would say to her.

"Okay, we'll come down tomorrow and be there at noon. Don't go anywhere," he commanded, making her roll her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured him. "I have tomorrow off, so it should work out fine." She looked to Aang. "Do you think you could take a day off to meet my family?" she asked him as she covered the phone.

"Sure," he smiled. "I'd love to meet them." He gulped a little as he remembered Sokka. "But I have to admit, I'm kind of scared to meet your brother."

She just laughed and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry. He won't do anything to you as long as I'm there." She took her hand off the phone. "So I'll see you and Dad tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"Yep," she could hear the smile in his voice. "We'll see you tomorrow, sis. It sounds like we've got a lot to catch up on."

"Yeah, we do," she agreed with a laugh. "See you tomorrow, Sokka."

"Love ya, sis," he told her before hanging up, making her smile. At least one of her family members didn't hate her for what she did. Now she would just have to worry about her father.

Aang grinned and pulled her back into his arms. "See? I told you they would be happy to hear from you."

"That was just my brother," Katara objected with a sigh. "I still don't know what my dad will do or say."

Aang squeezed her tighter and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry about it, Kat. I'm one-hundred percent sure that he'll welcome you back with open arms."

Katara looked up at him hopefully. "You really think so?"

"I know so," he assured her with a squeeze of her hand. "No true father can stay mad at their kids. Unless they tried to kill him or something," he joked, making her giggle.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She smiled warmly at him. "I love you," she thought aloud, making her gasp at her unwitting confession.

His eyes widened in surprise, making her worried that he didn't feel the same, but smiled widely back after the shock wore off. "I love you too, Kat." She beamed and tackled him in another kiss, making him laugh against her lips as she got as close to him as possible. After a few minutes, she felt the familiar heat go back between her legs and pulled away reluctantly.

"Do you want to take this upstairs?" she asked with need evident in her voice.

"What about Kya?" he gestured to her daughter who was sleeping on the recliner to their left.

Katara kissed him again and rubbed him through his pants, making him moan into her lips. "I'll put her in my room and leave the baby monitor on in case she wakes up." Aang shrugged and kissed her again before taking her hand and bringing Kya up with them, ready to officially make love to each other.

* * *

The next day, Katara was anxiously awaiting her brother and father. On one hand, she couldn't wait to see them, as it had felt like it had been forever since she had last seen them. On the other hand, she was scared to see what her father would say to her. Would he truly forgive her as Aang kept telling her he would? Or would he not come at all because he refused to have anything to do with her. She wasn't sure, and it was starting to get to her the more she waited. "Is everything alright, Kat?" Aang asked in concern as he sat down by her on the couch.

She nodded quietly, feeling the waves of fear roll off her. "Yeah… I'm just scared of what my father will say when he gets here. _If_ he gets here."

Aang gave her a reassuring hug which she sank into. "He'll come," he promised her with a kiss on her forehead. "There's no way any father would pass up a chance to see their daughter again." She still didn't look sure, so he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "It'll all be okay. I know it will. The only person who should be worried right now is me."

"And why is that?" Katara laughed at the scared look on his face.

"I'm the one who has to face your angry brother even though I haven't done anything to you," Aang admitted with fear in his voice.

Katara laughed and kissed him in return. "Like I said, don't worry too much about it. As long as I have any say in it, you're going to be just fine."

He nodded reluctantly with a sigh. "Okay… If you say so." She smiled and kissed him again until she heard the doorbell ring. "Normally I would get the door, but your brother might try to kill me on the spot if he sees me, so would you mind?" he asked politely, making Katara laugh at the fear in his eyes.

"How about we go answer it together?" Katara offered. He let out a long sigh and nodded as she took his hand and walked to the door. She swung it open to see Sokka and her father there with big smiles, making her relieved that Hakoda didn't look angry at her.

"How's it going sis?" Sokka asked as he gave her a big hug. Katara laughed and hugged him back before looking to her dad.

"Hey dad," she said nervously, still not sure what he would say to her. He didn't say anything for a moment, causing her to worry more, but tears eventually fell from his eyes and he wrapped her in a big hug, making her sigh happily as tears rolled down hers as well.

"I missed you so much, sweetheart,' he whispered into her ear.

Katara smiled and hugged him tighter. "I missed you too, dad." She paused, trying to think of the best way to get the words out. "Dad, I'm so-"

He pulled away and shook his head. "No, I don't want to hear any apologies. Let's just forget this ever happened, okay? Let's just start all over."

She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Okay." He smiled and hugged her again, making her feel truly at peace for the first time in her life. After a few more moments, he pulled away and looked over at Aang who was standing there awkwardly, not really sure what to do.

"And you," he said simply at Aang. Aang gulped and got worried that her father would try to beat him up too, but Hakoda just walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter and helping her get in contact with us. It means everything to me."

Aang smiled and hugged him back for a second before they pulled away. "It's no problem at all, sir. I would do anything to make her happy," he told him honestly, making Katara smile widely as she stared adoringly at him.

"Well I'm glad to hear that," Hakoda chuckled before returning his attention to Katara. "So, I heard that I have a granddaughter now?"

Katara nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Her name is Kya." Hakoda teared up a little but held it back, not wanting to ruin the moment. "Do you want to see her?"

"Of course I do, sweetheart. Lead the way," he gestured with his arm and followed her as she went upstairs. Aang attempted to follow them, but Sokka held him back for a moment.

"I'd like to talk to you for a minute, if you don't mind," Sokka almost glared at him. Aang gulped and looked up to Katara who was already upstairs. Taking a deep breath, he slowly nodded and followed Sokka into a more private room. "So," Sokka started as he turned around and gave him a questioning look. "What exactly are your intentions with my sister?"

Aang had to hold himself back from laughing because of her brother asking the father question, but he managed to reign himself in. "All I want is to make her happy and be with her as long as she'll have me. I've never met a girl like her before, and I can't believe anyone would willingly let her go."

Sokka tilted his head. "So you're not just with her for sex?" he asked suspiciously.

"No, not at all," Aang assured him. "If she never wanted to have sex again, I would be okay with that. All I want is to be with her."

"And what do you think about what Jet did to her?" Sokka questioned further, making Aang confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked while scratching his head.

Sokka rolled his eyes and sighed. "I mean, what do you think about what Jet did to her. How does him doing that to her make you feel?" he asked seriously.

Aang thought about it for a moment and felt his previous rage overtake him. "I want to murder him," he muttered honestly, making Sokka surprised at the passionate rage in his stormy depths. "I want him to suffer as Katara suffered so he can know what he put her through." He let out a long breath. "But I can't, and I know I wouldn't be able to do it anyway. I'm not that kind of person. The best thing I can do is make sure that she never has to go through anything like that again."

"And why do you care so much?" Sokka asked carefully.

Aang was silent for a moment, unsure of whether he should tell him the truth or not, but he finally decided on it with a sigh. "Because I love her," he admitted, making Sokka's eyes widen in surprise. "And I think I've been in love with her since I first laid eyes on her. She was so beautiful, even when I found her out on the streets in dirty clothes and smelling badly. When I saw her in an alleyway that day, something happened inside of me that I never thought would happen. It was almost like I was asleep, and meeting her had finally woken me up. I don't know, I can't really explain it. All I know is I would do anything to make sure that she's happy, and by extension I'll do whatever it takes to make her daughter happy as well."

Sokka was silent for a moment, searching his face for any signs of dishonesty, but found none as Aang was lost in his thoughts. After a few more moments, Sokka let out a long sigh and nodded to Aang. "Well, as much as I don't want to admit it, it sounds like you're the perfect guy for her. As long as she's happy, then I'm happy. I approve."

"Thank you, Sokka," Aang said gratefully.

Sokka got up in his face and pointed a finger against his chest. "But don't think that I"m going to take it easy on you. My job is to make sure that my sister doesn't get hurt, and I already failed her once. I won't fail her again."

Aang gave him a sad look. "You didn't fail her, Sokka. It was her decision to go through with the marriage. I'm sure that you did everything you could."

"If I did everything I could, then she wouldn't be in this situation!" he exclaimed angrily before taking a deep breath. "My job is supposed to prevent these things from happening, but I couldn't do anything to stop it."

"Exactly," Aang interrupted before Sokka could go any further. "There're just some things that are out of our control, even if we might wish otherwise. If there's one thing I've learned about your sister, it's that you can talk all you want, but when she has her mind set on something, there's no changing it." Aang gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "You didn't fail in your brotherly duties. She failed to protect herself."

Sokka was silent for a moment, unsure what to say. His words rang true, but he couldn't help but feel he was responsible anyway. A brother's job was to protect his sister after all. On the other hand, he knew just how stubborn his sister was. Finally deciding to accept Aang's advice, he took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "Yeah… I guess you're right. I just can't help but feel like it's my fault. I was supposed to protect her."

"You did everything you could," Aang reassured him. "In the end, the decision was hers to make and she did. And she unfortunately paid the price for it," he grimaced as he thought about it, making Sokka grimace as well. "But what's important is that it's all in the past. I don't know about you, but I'm more focused on my future than my past."

After a few moments of silence, Sokka finally nodded with a soft smile. "You're right. The past is behind us, and that's where it belongs." He gave Aang a grateful look. "Thanks for helping me out, man. You have no idea how much guilt I've been feeling since I found out about what happened."

"Well don't feel any more," Aang all but ordered. "You did nothing wrong, and what's important is that you're here now." He paused in thought. "While I've got you here, I've got a sort of proposition for you…"

* * *

Katara walked into her room with her father right behind her, smiling as she saw Kya asleep. Gently picking her up from her cradle, she held her carefully and walked over to her father. "Dad, this is Kya Jr."

Hakoda gasped and smiled as he looked down at the baby in her arms. "Can I hold her?" Katara nodded with a smile and gave her to him. He rocked her in his arms and was amazed at how much she looked like her mother as a baby. "She's beautiful. She looks just like you when you were her age."

"Thanks. She's an amazing sweetheart. At least when she's not hungry, anyway," she joked, making Hakoda chuckle.

Hakoda's face became grim as he recalled what he had heard from his son. "So… you two were out on the streets for a year?" he asked carefully, knowing it was a touchy subject.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, she was inside of me for most of that time, but the last few months before I came here she was out here with me."

He nodded and smiled down at Kya who looked like she was starting to wake up. "Oh, looks like nap time's over. Do you want to hold her?" he offered.

"I'm okay. I've had plenty of time to hold her. I think it's fair if you get a chance to," she replied with a soft smile.

"If you say so," he chuckled and continued rocking her in his arms. "So, you have a new boyfriend do you?"

Katara nodded with a big smile. "Yeah, I do. He's the most amazing, sweet, funny, and kind man I've ever met. He took me in even when I was rude to him and he's been nothing but a gentleman to me since we met."

Hakoda smiled at her. "Well I'm glad to hear that. So this won't be a repeat of the Jet incident, will it?" he asked seriously.

Katara's smile dropped as she looked down at her feet. "No dad. He's definitely not like Jet." She paused as she felt the guilt crash down on her. "Dad, I-"

"No, Katara. It's in the past, that's-"

"Where it belongs," Katara cut him off. "I know, I heard you the first time. But I need to tell you how sorry I am, so please let me say what I need to say." He was silent for a moment before he nodded his approval. She took a deep breath and looked at him sadly. "I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to you. Not just because of what I went through, but because I know I hurt you deeply when you were just trying to help me. I was so blinded by his charm, I didn't see what I was getting into and what that would do to you." Tears started flowing down her face as she wiped them away. "I am _so_ sorry that I ignored you when you were only trying to help me see what would happen if I went through with it. And I know you must hate me right now-" She was cut off as Hakoda set Kya on the bed and hugged her.

"Why would I ever hate you? You're my daughter," Hakoda whispered as he felt tears come down his face as well. "You made a mistake. We all make those. All I care about is that you came back. That's all I've ever wanted since your wedding. Of course I forgive you, sweetheart." Katara started crying harder as he held her closer. "It's alright. It's in the past now, and that's where it belongs," he repeated himself jokingly, making her smile a little as she wiped tears from her eyes.

She finally pulled away and smiled weakly at him. "I missed you so much, dad."

He smiled as he looked at her in adoration. "I missed you too, sweetheart. I'm just happy to see you again." They hugged again for a few moments, feeling the broken bridge between them mend itself as they held each other close. After a few more moments, they reluctantly pulled away and smiled.

"Thank you for forgiving me dad," she sniffled as she wiped a happy tear away. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"You're my daughter," he repeated himself with a laugh. "What kind of Father would I be if I didn't forgive my daughter?" She smiled again and was interrupted from saying anything when Sokka and Aang finally came up the stairs.

Sokka walked in and smiled as he saw Kya laying in the bed. "Is that her?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "No, Sokka. The only baby in the whole house is not my daughter. I'm babysitting someone else's," she replied sarcastically.

He ignored her sarcasm and walked over to Kya. "Can I hold her?" he asked gently. Katara nodded with a smile. Taking her in his arms, he smiled down at Kya. "Hey little Kya. It's your Uncle Sokka. When you're older, we're going to have so much fun. Including but not limited to pranking your mommy."

Katara rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the smile off her face. It was almost like old times. Her father was there, her brother and her were already back in their same routine, except now it was better. Because now they had two new additions to the family. Her amazing daughter and her amazing boyfriend. "You're hilarious Sokka," she sighed without much conviction.

Aang walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "How did it go?" he asked as he took her hand.

She smiled and kissed him on the lips. "We're all good now. We're leaving it in the past and looking forward." Looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but feel herself melt into his loving gaze. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he whispered back and kissed her head.

"Will you two knock it off?" Sokka groaned as he rolled his eyes, still holding Kya in his arms. "You might be 'in love' and all that, but that doesn't mean I want to see you two being all mushy with each other."

Katara glared at him, but Aang just laughed good-naturedly. "Okay, Sokka. We'll try our best. Right, Sweetie?"

Sokka groaned even louder. "You two even have pet names for each other? This is just gross," he made a face.

"Shut up, Sokka!" she whisper-shouted, not wanting to get Kya stirred up, knowing it would take a while to calm her back down.

Before he could respond, Aang stepped in to prevent any more spats. "Okay, I understand that this is what you guys are used to, but we've got more important things to talk about."

"What kinds of things?" Hakoda piped up, taking Kya from Sokka's arms and setting her down in the cradle while Sokka pouted.

"I already talked to Sokka about it, and he's on board with it so far," Aang started as he looked to Sokka who gave him a nod of approval. "But I want to ask you if you would be interested as well. Could we take this to the living room?" Hakoda shrugged and nodded while they all walked out and made their way to the living room. Once they were all settled in, Aang looked directly at Hakoda. "Okay, so what I wanted to talk about was something that I think would be good for everybody."

"And what exactly is that?" Hakoda ventured further.

Aang was silent for a moment, wondering how to put it in the best words possible. "As you both know, Katara has missed you guys a lot and would like to spend more time with you." Hakoda nodded with a smile at Katara who smiled back. "Well, I know Omashu is at least two hours away from here, and I know it would be a pain to have to drive all that way whenever you come to see them, so I thought maybe… if you're interested… maybe you might… move here?"

Hakoda's eyes widened in surprise, but thought about it for a moment. He turned to his son after another few moments. "And you're on board with this?" Sokka nodded. "What about your girlfriend Song?"

"We broke up a few weeks ago," Sokka shrugged in response.

"Okay, what about your job?" Hakoda questioned seriously. "I thought you really liked it?"

"I do," Sokka agreed. "But this city has another branch of it here and I could just transfer to it. The only thing that would be different is that I would have to find new friends, but I'm okay with that. Besides, I never really liked Omashu anyway."

Hakoda nodded in response and was silent for another few moments, causing Katara to worry. "Well I wouldn't really mind it, I suppose," he said as he mulled it over. "I don't care for my job and my apartment isn't great." He looked over to Aang. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well," Aang started as he thought it over. "I've got connections all throughout the city. If there's a job that you think you would like, then ninety-nine to one I can get it set up for you. Then we can either get you a nice house or I can get you an apartment wherever you want in the city and pay the first six months rent for you so you've had enough time to situate yourself."

He thought it over some more and nodded slowly. "Okay, that just might work. It _would_ be nice to get out of Omashu. That place hasn't exactly been getting better since we moved there from the South Pole." Hakoda looked to Katara. "What do you think, sweetheart?"

"You already know what I think," she laughed at him. "Of course I want you guys here, but ultimately it's your decision. All I know is I'm not going anywhere," she told him with a smile at Aang who smiled back.

Hakoda smiled at the both of them. It was nice to see his daughter with someone who genuinely cared about her. After a few more moments lost in his thoughts, he made his decision. "Alright, if we can get me a nice job and a decent place to stay, then I'll come here."

"Really?" Katara asked excitedly.

He chuckled and opened his arms as she ran and gave him a hug. "Of course. I wouldn't want to miss out on seeing my granddaughter grow up. Or miss out on seeing any other future grandchildren grow up," he teased, making Katara and Aang blush heavily.

Sokka rolled his eyes at them and stood up. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. You guys figure out the details and let me know when I'm coming down here." He started walking away when he smiled over his shoulder. "I'm glad that we're talking again, sis."

Katara smiled back. "I am too, Sokka." He continued on his way to the bathroom as Katara turned to Hakoda. "So, you've been on the road for a while, huh?" He nodded. "How about we get you something to eat? Aang has a personal chef here that will make you whatever you want."

His stomach gurgled at the mention of food, making everyone laugh. "You know what? That sounds good to me." He got up and walked to the kitchen as Aang and Katara followed him. Right before Aang could step into the kitchen, Katara grabbed Aang by the arm and pushed him up against the wall as she kissed him passionately, taking him completely by surprise before his eyes sunk closed in bliss. After a few moments, she reluctantly pulled away and smiled at him as they tried to catch their breaths.

"What was that for?" Aang asked with a breathless laugh.

"Because I love you," she said with a wide smile. "Because I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world and I don't know what I would do without you."

He smiled and kissed her. "I love you too. Now come on, I don't want Ty Lee to talk your father to death," he joked, making her giggle as he took her hand. She gave him one last kiss and walked in, ready to save her father from the torture that was talking to Ty Lee.


	6. Chapter 6: Trouble in Paradise

Chapter 6: Trouble in Paradise

**Hey guys! I just wanted to apologize for not responding to reviews lately. I've been so busy trying to pump these chapters out I haven't even bothered to check, so I just wanted to apologize real quick. With that said, here are my responses to reviews! **

**Ashley Barbosa- I'm glad that you've been enjoying it! Thanks for reading and the review! **

**Javier- Thanks! It's nice to know that I'm improving with each story. Maybe one day I'll be a decent writer. I love their dynamic too. Just one of the many reasons I love them together. Thanks for reading and the review! **

**Yangchen- Thanks! I'm glad that you think it's perfect, even if I don't think so. Thanks for reading and the review! **

**Guests 1 & 2- Thanks! I'm glad that you like the story so far! Thanks for reading and the review! **

**Ellery Doward- Yeah, that was what I was going for. I try my best to bring them as close to their actual characters as possible given the situations that they're put in. I'm glad that you think I have their dynamic on-point. Thanks for reading and the review! **

**Rlraj4750:- Awesome! I always love to hear that people are hooked on my stories when they're not even a full chapter in. It makes me feel like I'm not such a bad writer. I feel like my writing is improving, but it still feels like it's poor quality writing at best, but thanks anyway. I completely agree with you on how they are together. They just have an easy understanding of each other that makes each other work together so well and is why they are so good together. I understand what you mean. You think you've got an irrational Fanboy side of you? It's nothing compared to mine. I have an irrational fan side of me that I'm not proud of. For instance, I hate the thought of Katara even having feelings for anyone else than Aang, let alone getting married and having a kid with someone else, but it's absolutely stupid on my part and I'm trying my best to fix it. Haven't had much success, but hopefully after a while I'll get there. Thanks for reading and the review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

A couple months later, things were going well for everyone. Sokka and Hakoda had moved to the city and were getting used to their new lives, enjoying their new lives in the city. And more importantly, they were enjoying being with Katara again. It had been too long for any of them to be apart from each other, and none of them would ever let that happen again. Katara was as happy as she could be. She had been made assistant manager of the store and was getting closer and closer to Aang. When she had first unwittingly told Aang she loved him, she had feared that he would think that things were moving too fast and drop out of it, but he was just as happy as her to hear that she loved him back, much to her relief. Katara was in too deep to try to start over again. Aang was perfect for her in every way. Her most unloved characteristic by herself, her short temper, was well known throughout her family. And, much to her embarrassment, she had been known to once or twice lose it in front of Aang when she would drive and others would cut her off, but he would always be the kind and patient hand to steer her back on course. He was so sweet and gentle, and she couldn't bear the thought of not being with him.

Even though she had sworn that she never would, she couldn't help but wish that he would propose to her. She already knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. All it would take was for him to ask and she wouldn't hesitate. She wanted badly for him to ask, but they had only been dating for five months. She knew that she would just have to be patient. Shaking her head at these thoughts, she looked at the clock and smiled as she saw it was five o'clock. Smiling widely, she looked over to Toph who was asleep with her head on her fist as she leaned against the counter. Katara rolled her eyes and snuck up behind Toph, waiting for the right moment until she leaned into her ear and yelled, "Boo!", making Toph snap to attention.

"What? Where am I?" Toph muttered tiredly as she tried to regain her bearings. Katara couldn't help but laugh at her friend's expression when she had been woken. "What's so funny, Sugar Queen?" Toph asked with a frown.

Katara snickered a little before she smirked smugly at Toph. "Maybe if you didn't keep falling asleep during work, then you would know," she teased as she walked to the backroom. Toph looked at the clock and quickly followed her back there.

"I wouldn't fall asleep if this job wasn't so boring," Toph argued as she grabbed her jacket from her locker and followed Katara to the time clock machine. "Besides, it was a slow day. I'm sure you had it handled."

Katara rolled her eyes and swiped her card before turning around to put on her jacket. "I did, but you're still expected to do something to look busy. You know I could fire you if I wanted to since I'm the assistant manager," she joked.

Toph just snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I know you won't. You wouldn't fire your best friend, would you? Besides, Aang would just hire me back. He knows about my naps and he's okay with it."

"Really?" Katara asked in surprise as she checked her hair in the mirror. Toph nodded as she clocked out. "Why does he let you get away with it?" she wondered aloud.

"Why do _you_ let me get away with it?" Toph shot back. "Because you both know there's not a lot to do here and that it gets incredibly slow some days. Fridays are no exception," she yawned as she grabbed her keys. "I gotta go. I'll see you later, Sugar Queen."

"See ya!" Katara called back as she rolled her eyes at her friend's nickname for her. Even after many failed attempts, Toph still wouldn't change her nickname to something better. Or at least something that Katara would think is a better nickname. That girl was as stubborn as stone. Finally deciding she was ready, she grabbed her purse and walked out of the store, not without saying a polite goodbye to Miss Agni along the way. She was greeted by the welcoming sight of her smiling boyfriend.

"Hey Kat," he smiled wider as he waited for her in front of his car. "How was work?" She greeted him with a passionate kiss, leaving him a little dazed as she pulled away and laughed at the goofy expression on his face.

"Oh, you know," she started as he opened the door for her. "Besides dealing with Toph and her falling asleep in the middle of the workday, not bad."

Aang couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips as he got in his side of the car. "Well you're her boss now. You could just tell her to stop falling asleep," he pointed out as he started up the car and drove away.

Katara shrugged as she smiled at him. "So could you," she laughed back. "You are the owner of the company after all. Why don't you?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged as he made a turn. "Because I know that she gets the job done. She only falls asleep when she's done all that she can. It doesn't take much for her to get bored, so she makes sure to do everything she can before she allows herself to take a nap," he explained as they entered his neighborhood.

"I guess that makes sense," Katara pondered aloud as she rummaged through her bag for a mint. Her breath reeked of garlic from her meal of pasta and garlic bread. After a few moments of unsuccessful searching, she finally found it and popped one in, enjoying the icy cool taste of the mint flooding her system.

"Pasta again, huh?" Aang asked with a laugh as he pulled into his driveway. Katara nodded sheepishly as she put them back into her bag. "You know I don't care what your breath smells like. I'm just happy to know that I'm the one who gets to kiss you," he told her honestly, earning him a peck on the lips.

"I know," she smiled as he walked over and helped her out of the car. "But I know that if I were you I would rather have a girlfriend who knows to try to hide the garlic she had than one who has stinky breath." He just laughed and kissed her cheek as they held hands and walked to the house. As they walked in, they were greeted by the amazing smell of fresh food being prepared, making both of their stomach's growl as they walked straight to the kitchen where Ty Lee had already prepared food for them.

"Hey Mr. White!" Ty Lee greeted him cheerily, but not forgetting her usual glare at Katara who shrugged it off. "I made your favorite dish. Lasagna," she cooed as she set the dish down in front of his seat.

He smiled and sat down in his chair. "Thank you, Ty Lee. That was very nice of you." She gave him a wide smile that quickly dropped when she looked at Katara. "You don't mind lasagna, do you?" he asked Katara as she sat down.

"Of course not," Katara smiled as Aang took a piece and put it on her plate. "Thank you, Sweetie." Ty Lee fumed and walked out of the room without another word. _That's it_, she thought angrily. _This lady's had her time with him, but now he's going to be mine…_ She walked over to the dishes and started thinking of ways to break them up.

* * *

A few hours later, Aang and Katara were cuddled up on the couch with Kya in her arms, watching a kids show that Kya couldn't take her eyes off.

"Wow," Aang laughed as he watched Kya continue to be mesmerized by a dancing dinosaur. "She really seems to enjoy this show."

Katara laughed and looked fondly down at her daughter. "Yeah, it seems so. We can change the channel if you want?" she offered, not wanting Kya to prevent him from watching something he might want to watch.

He shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry about it. It's actually kind of refreshing to watch it. It makes me feel like less of an adult when I'm watching kids shows." Katara smiled and snuggled up to him before her phone started ringing. Groaning slightly, she got it out to see that it was her brother.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she promised with a quick kiss on his cheek before walking out of the room. "What do you want, Sokka?" she asked in annoyance as she walked out of the room, prompting Aang to laugh at her and her brother's relationship. He had always wondered what it was like to have a sibling, and now he was getting a taste of it, he seemed. Kya started babbling and he smiled down at her before taking her in his arms and rocking her gently, making her yawn before she slowly fell asleep. He smiled again and gently set her down on the recliner before kicking his feet up on the table and putting his hands behind his head, enjoying the peaceful moment. He felt a tap on his shoulder and, on instinct, turned around quickly in a defensive position until he saw it was Ty Lee. "Oh, hey Ty. Did you need something?"

She shook her head. "I don't need anything, but I wanted to tell you something that I overheard," she lied, putting on her best sad face.

Aang looked at her curiously as he relaxed his stance. "Okay… What did you overhear?" he questioned with a tilted head as he sat on the table.

"Well…" Ty Lee started fake nervously and checked to make sure Katara wasn't coming back yet. "I overheard Katara say something… _interesting_."

He raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean, _interesting_? What did she say?"

Ty Lee was silent for a moment. _Should I go through with this? She makes him really happy. Happier than I've ever seen him._ She mentally slapped herself. _You can make him happier! Do it!_ Taking a deep breath, she looked around again and leaned in. "I heard her talking to her brother."

"So? She talks to her brother a lot," Aang laughed as he shook his head at her. "She's talking to him right now."

Ty Lee shook her head again. "No, I mean that I heard her say that… she was only dating you because she felt like she owed you since you took her in and helped her get back on her feet. She said that's the only reason she's going out with you right now," she lied slowly, trying her best to sound remorseful and like it was a pain to have to tell him this.

His smile instantly dropped at her words, making his eyes shine sadly in disbelief before he looked down at his feet. "Oh," he murmured quietly, feeling tears prick at his eyes. "I see." He took a few deep breaths before he trusted himself to speak, making her start to regret what she had done, but it was too late to take it back. "I understand. Thank you for bringing this to my attention." Ty Lee nodded and sat next to him and gave him a hug which he did not return.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, making tears prick at his eyes until he couldn't take it anymore. Finally having enough, he got up and took a step away.

"Thank you for letting me know, Miss Jackson," he thanked her with a nod. "If you'll excuse me, I should be going to bed."

Ty Lee stood up quickly. "Do you want some company?" she asked a little desperately, hoping he would say yes.

He shook his head and turned around. "I'll be fine, thank you. I just need to get a good night's sleep and decide what to do. Thank you for letting me know. Goodnight Miss Jackson," he told her over his shoulder before walking up to his room. Katara was on her way back from her room and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry it took so long," she apologized as she walked up to him. "My brother likes to talk."

"It's fine," he responded a little coldly, taking her aback from not being used to hearing that tone come from his lips. "I'm feeling a little tired, so I'm going to get some sleep. Goodnight." He attempted to move around her, but she stepped into his way to stop him.

"What's wrong, Aang?" she questioned seriously as she saw the pain in his eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Aang was silent as he tried to move around her again, but she just moved to block him again and he let out a long sigh. "Yes, everything is fine," he lied. "I'm just really tired and I've had a long day. Can I please go to sleep now?"

Katara didn't believe him for a second. "Aang, I can tell something's wrong. Just tell me what it is. I want to help you."

"Why?" he questioned sadly as he looked her in the eyes. "Because you feel like you owe me something, so you have to pretend like you care about me?"

Her eyes widened in shock at his words. "Aang, what are you talking about?" she asked in disbelief.

"Don't pretend not to know what I'm talking about," Aang growled as he wiped a tear that had escaped from his eye. "You feel like you owe me something, so you're only pretending to care about me because you feel like you owe me. It makes perfect sense. You couldn't pay me back the way you expected to, so when I asked you out, you decided that would be the perfect way to settle your debt, even when I said there was no debt to settle," he responded angrily as he attempted to walk past her again. She stopped him again and forced him to look her in the eye.

"Aang, I'm not pretending to care about you," she argued as she held his face in her hands. "I told you I loved you. Do you really think that I would tell you that just to settle a debt?"

"I don't know anything anymore," Aang sighed in frustration as he refused to look at her. "All I know is that it makes sense that you would only do it to settle a debt. If you were willing to lay for me, why wouldn't you be willing to date me?" He took a deep breath and looked down at his feet. "Look, I get it. You don't think of me in that way. I understand, I just wish you would have just shot me down when you knew you weren't really interested in me."

Katara forced him to look at her again as she took his face in her hands and kissed him fiercely. "Aang, I love you. I don't know where you got this crazy idea that I'm only doing this to settle a debt, but I swear, I am madly and deeply in love with you."

Aang was silent for a moment. Of course he wanted to believe her. He wanted for her to love him and be with him for the rest of his life, but he couldn't force her to marry him if she didn't truly care for him in that way. He would never be able to live with himself if he prevented her from finding true love. His love for her was too deep to prevent her from finding that, even if he would be dead inside without her. "I'm sorry Katara," he finally said. "But I just don't believe you. I know how great of a person you are, and I don't want you to sacrifice your life for me just because you think that would make us even." She took him by his shirt collar and smashed her lips against his, trying to convey all of her emotions to him to show just how much she loved him, but he pulled away quickly and shook his head. "I won't let you do this, Katara. I love you too much to let you do this."

"Where did you even get this crazy idea?" Katara questioned him seriously as she stopped him from getting around her again.

"Ty Lee told me she heard you on the phone with your brother," Aang told her before he finally had enough. "I'm sorry Katara, but I won't ruin your life because you feel the need to pay me back. We're done." He finally managed to move her out of the way and walked quickly to his room before shutting the door and locking it, leaving a teary-eyed Katara standing there before she remembered what he had said.

"Ty Lee!" she gasped angrily. Having enough of her, she ran down the stairs and found Ty Lee watching tv with a guilty look on her face. "You! What did you do?!" she asked angrily as she walked right up to her.

Ty Lee gulped as she tried to avoid the death glare Katara was giving her. "I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered softly in response, trying not to let the guilt crash down on her.

"You told him that I was only pretending to care for him!" Katara's voice came dangerously close to yelling until she saw Kya stir a little. Taking a deep breath, she got up in Ty Lee's face and made her look her in the eye. "I know that you have a crush on Aang, but he loves me! There are other guys in the world. You could easily find another, so why don't you stay away from him?!"

"Because there's no other guy like him," Ty Lee argued as she crossed her arms in a defiant gesture. "Besides, I would make him happier than you ever could. He deserves someone who didn't have a kid with another man."

Katara looked down sadly and thought about what she had said. Of course she was right, but Aang loved her and he obviously didn't care. In fact, he was more than happy to have Kya there. He was very happy when he was with Kya, and didn't seem to mind that she wasn't his. "That may be," Katara started. "But the decision isn't yours to make. If he loves me, then he should be with me. Why do you get to make that decision for him?" Ty Lee was silent for a moment. She knew Katara was right, but she didn't want to give up on Aang. She had to admit though, Aang had never shown any interest in her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly nodded and stood up.

"You're right," she sighed while she looked down at her feet.. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to be with him for so long, and then you come out of nowhere and he all of a sudden wants to go out with you." She took a deep breath and shook her head at herself. "I'm so sorry. I never should have done anything."

Katara was silent for a moment before she offered her hand. "How about we go fix this and we pretend like this never happened?"

Ty Lee smiled and shook it. "Okay. Let's go save your relationship." Katara smiled and they went up the stairs to Aang's room where she heard him snoring. She sighed and sank down on the ground against the door. "Why aren't you knocking on the door?" Ty Lee asked curiously.

"Because when he's asleep there's no waking him," Katara explained as she leaned her head against the door. "He's one of the heaviest sleepers on Earth."

Ty Lee couldn't help but laugh a little. "What if there's an emergency? How do you plan on waking him up?"

Katara shrugged as she felt herself growing tired. "I'll figure that out if it ever comes to that. For now I'm more worried about telling him the truth."

"Well I guess we'll just have to wait out here until morning then," Ty Lee yawned as she laid down on the floor. "Hey Katara?"

Katara turned to look at her through lidded eyes. "Yeah Ty?"

Ty Lee smiled a little at her nickname for her. "I really am sorry for getting between you guys. I hope that you can forgive me and we can be good friends."

"Of course we can," Katara yawned as she felt sleep start to claim her. "I don't hold grudges. I would love to be your friend." Ty Lee smiled as they both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Eight hours later, Aang yawned and woke up, not remembering what had transpired the night before. The more he woke, though, the more memories from the day before flooded over him until he remembered what had happened the previous night. His heart broke again at what Ty Lee had told him, but he knew it was for the best for Katara. He loved her too much for her to not truly be happy, even if that meant he would never be happy again. Tears pricked at his eyes again, but he forced them back and shook his head. His stomach growled, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay in his room all day like he wanted to. Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the door and was surprised as he opened it to see Katara and Ty Lee on the floor. The movement woke them up as Katara's eyes fluttered open and she looked up to see Aang looking down at her. "Aang!" she said quickly as she hopped to her feet and held him in place. "I know you don't believe me, but maybe you'll believe Ty. Ty?" she asked as Ty Lee was still waking up.

"Wha?" Ty Lee yawned as she slowly got up.

"Ty. Remember what we were going to tell him last night?" Katara reminded her. It took another moment for Ty Lee's tired mind to process what she had said before recognition flooded her.

"Right," she said as she stood up and looked at Aang sheepishly. "I… sort of… lied when I said that Katara had told her brother that she didn't really love you…" she admitted while she looked down at her feet, ready to get yelled at.

Aang's eyes widened in surprise at her words as he looked between the two girls. "Really?" She nodded slowly without tearing her eyes from her feet which she had taken a great interest in as she continued to stare at them. He turned back to Katara. "So… you really do love me?" he asked cautiously, not daring to hope in case he was wrong.

"Of course I do, Aang," Katara laughed incredulously as she looked him in the Aang. "How could I not?" She cupped his cheek in her hand and smiled sadly at him. "I love you so much, I don't even know where to begin describing how much I love you."

He smiled warmly at her before confusion crossed over his handsome features as he turned back to Ty Lee. "So why did you lie to me, Ty?"

She didn't say anything for a moment before she finally looked up at him. "Because I wanted you for myself, and I knew that would never happen if she was still with you. But I can see how much you love her, so I knew that I had to fix things." She took a deep breath and looked at them both with regretful eyes. "I am so sorry. I promise, I'll never do it again. And I understand if you want to fire me," she added quietly before she looked back down at her feet.

Aang put a hand on her shoulder, making her look back up to him. "I'm not going to fire you, Ty. You made a mistake, but what's important is that you fixed it. Everything is forgiven," he told her with a soft smile.

"Thank you," she replied gratefully. "She's a very lucky girl, just so you know."

"Yeah, I am," Katara agreed with a smile at Aang who smiled back. She turned her attention to Ty Lee after a few moments. "But you'll find someone Ty. You're an amazingly beautiful girl and the best chef I've ever seen. Some guy is going to fall all over you one day and you'll be happy. I promise."

Ty Lee smiled and hugged Katara. "Thanks, Katara. That means a lot to me." She gave Aang a quick hug, savoring his presence before she let go and smiled at them. "Well how about I go make us some breakfast? I bet you guys are hungry." Her point was proven as Aang's stomach rumbled, much to his embarrassment.

"Sounds like it," Katara said teasingly to Aang. "We'll meet you down there in a second." Ty Lee nodded and made her way downstairs as Aang turned to Katara.

"Kat, I'm so-" she cut him off with a kiss which he melted into, making her smile against his lips as he kissed her back. After a couple minutes, they reluctantly pulled apart and she smiled at him.

"Don't worry about it, Aang. I understand where you were coming from. All that matters is that you know that I really do love you, okay?" she told him as she kissed him again.

He finally smiled and nodded happily. "You have no idea how happy that makes me to know that you actually do love me. I don't think I would be able to live without you." Katara beamed and kissed him passionately as she backed him against the wall, not wanting to stop until she ran out of breath. They soon pulled apart and smiled at each other.

"I don't think I would be able to live without you either," she agreed breathlessly as she stared into his eyes. His stomach rumbled again and killed the moment, making her laugh as he blushed in embarrassment. "Come on, let's go get something to eat." He nodded with a smile and took her hand as they walked down the stairs. Fortunately for them, it was a Saturday morning and neither of them had anywhere to be. Katara quickly walked over to Kya and was relieved to see that she was okay, completely forgetting about her in the events of the night before.

"Were you worried?" Aang chuckled as he took her free hand.

"Of course I was," Katara laughed as she squeezed his hand. "She is my daughter, after all." She paused as she remembered what Ty Lee had told her the night before. "Hey Aang?" she asked nervously.

He looked over to her with a smile. "Yeah, Kat?"

"Well…" she started even more nervously. "Are you really okay that Kya's not yours? I know it must be kind of weird to have someone else's kid in your house."

Aang shook his head as he smiled down at Kya. "I don't care who's biological daughter she is. As long as you don't have kids with anyone else while we're together, then I don't mind at all. I'll love her like she's my own. Besides, just because she's physically related to someone else doesn't make her biological father her actual father. The moment he abandoned you both, he gave up the right to be called that. As long as you're okay with it, then I'd like to consider her as my own."

Katara smiled and kissed him. "Of course, Aang. I wish she was biologically yours as well, but you've done way more for her than Jet ever did." She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "And maybe one day we can have some kids of our own," she whispered seductively as she ran her free hand down his back, causing him to shiver.

"I would like that," he grinned as he kissed her head. She smiled happily as they walked into the kitchen and saw Ty Lee already working on making their breakfast.

"Don't worry!" she called over her shoulder as she walked flipped some pancakes. "These are coming right up! Your stomach won't be complaining for much longer," she joked cheerfully as they both laughed.

Katara sat down with Aang across from her and set Kya on the seat next to her when Katara remembered why Sokka had called the night before. "You'll never believe what Sokka told me last night."

Aang raised an eyebrow as he poured some coffee into his mug. "What did he tell you?" he asked curiously as he took a sip of his drink.

She took a moment to stifle her giggles and finally looked up at him. "Apparently, while Sokka was looking around for new clothes, he ran into Yue and they are now going on a date."

Aang's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" he asked in disbelief. She nodded with a smile on her face. "Wow," he laughed as he took another sip. "I never thought that would happen." He snickered as he thought about it. "At least Yue will leave me alone now," he thought aloud.

"Yeah, that's a bonus," Katara agreed as she poured some coffee for herself. "But now my best friend and my brother are going to be dating. It's going to be so weird," she groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"I thought Toph was your best friend?" Aang asked curiously as Ty Lee set their food down in front of them.

"She is," Katara agreed as she ate a piece of sausage. "But Yue is my best friend, too. That would be like if you your best friend dated your sibling."

He just laughed and started cutting his pancakes. "Well, considering that I don't have a sibling and my best friend is already getting married, I don't think I'll have that problem."

"Who is he marrying?" Katara asked curiously with a mouthful of eggs, much to her embarrassment as she quickly swallowed it.

Aang smiled at her cuteness and shook his head. "Her name is Jin. She's an old friend of ours back from college. He met her at a party and I guess they just connected. A few years later, they're engaged and are going to be married next summer."

Katara looked at him in confusion. "Why not this Summer? Wouldn't they want to be married as quickly as possible?"

"Apparently she wants a big wedding," Aang chuckled as he took a bite of his bacon. "And by big, I mean she wants it so that a thousand people are there."

Katara's eyes widened in surprise as she paused in the middle of her attempt to eat a bite of her pancakes. "Wow. That's… kind of insane," she laughed, making him laugh as well.

"Yeah, she's always been a little out there," he agreed as he smiled at her. "But we're always willing to do crazy things for the ones we love, right?"

She smiled back and looked at him in adoration. "Of course," she agreed with a kiss on his cheek. Looking over to her right, she saw Ty Lee eating over to her right at the end of the table. "Hey Ty!"

Ty Lee looked up from her food and looked over at them curiously. "Yeah Kat?"

"Come sit over here," she invited as she took Kya into her arms and settled her on her lap. "You're not eating alone by yourself. We're all friends here."

Ty Lee smiled and grabbed her plate to join them. "Thanks. I'd love to hang out with you guys," she said cheerily as she took her seat.

Aang smiled at her. "You really are an excellent cook, Ty Lee. These are the best pancakes I've ever had. If I'm not careful, I might keep eating them until I get fat," he joked, making her smile at his compliment.

"Thank you, Aang. That means a lot coming from you." Katara gave her a look and she sighed. "Sorry. It's going to take some time, but I promise that I won't get in your guys' way anymore."

"It's okay, Ty," Katara assured her with a pat on the back. "By the way, who taught you how to cook? They must have been excellent chefs if they taught you to do this well."

Ty Lee smiled as she looked down at her food. "My grandfather owned his own restaurant in my hometown. Ever since I was little, he taught me everything that was needed to be a good cook, and I've been doing it ever since."

Aang smiled as they continued their conversation. It was nice seeing Katara getting more friends. He knew that she could use them with a baby to take care of so that she could go out on a girls night. It had probably been a while since she had just hung out with her friends and lived like a normal twenty four year old. He would do anything to make sure that she could have as happy a life as possible. His thoughts drifted off into his future and what it would bring. One thought kept coming back as he tried to think of others, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't shake it.

"Are you okay, Sweetie?" Katara asked in concern as she noticed his lips pursed in thought.

He quickly snapped out of it and nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking a little is all." She didn't seem to believe him, but she shrugged it off and returned to her conversation with Ty Lee. He let out a soft sigh of relief and returned to his previous train of thought. Was now the right time? Was it too early? What would she say? Taking a deep breath, he remembered her smile and the sparkle in her eyes whenever he looked at her and made his decision. Once Katara and Ty Lee had paused in their conversation, Aang finally spoke up. "Hey Kat?"

Katara looked over to him with a smile. "Yeah, Sweetie?"

"Do you happen to have your father's number?" he asked a little nervously, not wanting to reveal his plans and hoping she wouldn't question it. Fortunately for him, she didn't give it a second thought.

"Of course I do," she laughed as she pulled out her phone and gave it to him. "His number is on my contact list." He sighed in relief when she became curious. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked with a tilted head.

"Um…" he laughed nervously and rubbed his neck before he was saved by Kya crying. Katara looked down to her with a sigh and shook her head.

"I guess it's feeding time," she chuckled. "I'll be back in a little bit," she promised with a kiss on the cheek before she walked upstairs to her room. Aang let out a sigh of relief and looked at Ty Lee who was looking at him curiously.

"Um… I have to go make a call," he said awkwardly before he walked away quickly to his office and shut the door behind him. Letting out another sigh of relief, he took a deep breath and dialed Hakoda's number on his phone and put it to his ear, feeling his heart thump painfully in his chest as fear grew in him.

After a few rings, the phone picked up. "This is Hakoda Aqua, how may I help you?" Hakoda greeted him politely.

"Hey Mr. Aqua. It's me, Aang," he greeted him nervously as he sat down in his work chair.

"Ah, Aang. It's nice to hear from you. How's my daughter and granddaughter doing?" he asked as he shuffled some paperwork.

"Both are doing just fine," Aang assured him as he pulled at his collar nervously. "I just wanted to call and ask you something. Do you think I could meet you at Iroh's diner tomorrow for lunch?"

Hakoda was silent for a moment as he checked through his schedule and finally spoke, "Sure, I could do that. But isn't that place always busy?" he wondered.

"It is," Aang agreed as he took calming breaths. "But I'm friends with the owner and I can get in whenever I want. We'll have no problem getting in."

Hakoda let out a hearty chuckle. "Okay then. If you say so. I'll meet you there at noon. Sound good?"

Aang nodded quickly despite knowing he wouldn't be able to see it. "Sounds perfect. See you then, Mr. Aqua."

"You can call me Hakoda, Aang," he chuckled. "We're past formalities by now."

Aang smiled a little. "Okay. See you then, Hakoda."

"See you then, Aang." Aang hung up and let out a sigh of relief. _One part of this down, one more to go…_ he thought as he took a deep breath. Pushing the nerves down, he walked out to go back to spend more time with his love, preparing himself for what tomorrow would bring.


	7. Chapter 7: A Surprise to Remember

Chapter 7: A Surprise to Remember

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**AnonymousKataang: Well I'm glad that you've been enjoying it. And it's funny that you should ask that… Thanks for reading and the review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

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Another month later, Aang was nervous. For some unknown reason, the thought of what he was about to do made him very shaky. He had never done it before, and it was all he could think about as the time drew near. Aang had taken utmost care to make sure that everything would be perfect. He just hoped that it would go in his favor. "Aang?"

Aang snapped out of his thoughts to see Katara in front of him with a concerned look on her face. "Is everything alright?" she asked as she walked up to him and kissed his cheek.

He smiled a little and pulled her down to the couch so that she was in his arms. "I'm fine now that you're here," he told her, making her smile as she rewarded him with a kiss on the lips.

"As sweet as that was, I'm serious. Is there something wrong?" she asked seriously.

"No, nothing's wrong," he promised, hoping she wouldn't question him too much. One thing he had never been proud of was that if he had been given too many questions at once, then he would likely forget what he had been doing at the time and let slip what he was trying to keep secret. It became a real pain due to the fact that meant the things he didn't want others to know usually came out, but he was determined to not give himself away this time. Katara still looked unsure, so he kissed her head and held her closer. "I appreciate your concern, but really. I'm okay."

Katara finally gave up with a sigh and nodded slowly. "Okay… if you say so. So, are you excited for tonight?" she asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. She clearly had no clue what Aang had in store for them for the night, and Aang couldn't help but imagine the look on her face when he showed her just how much he loved her.

"Absolutely," Aang finally grinned as he came out of his thoughts. "I'm also looking forward to getting to try out a new kind of steak. I've never had a t-bone steak before, but I will tonight."

She just laughed and rolled her eyes. "You're more excited about a steak than spending time with me?" she asked in mock hurt.

He rolled his eyes right back and pulled her into a passionate kiss, making her sigh contentedly into his mouth as she kissed him back, feeling completely at ease in his arms. After a couple minutes, he reluctantly pulled away and smiled at the happy expression on her face. "Steak could never beat you, Kat. Besides, steak can't kiss me back," he joked, making her giggle as she looked up at him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she conceded with a smile up at him. Wanting badly to be closer, she turned around on his lap and kissed him fiercely, getting lost in his taste as their lips melded into one. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his came around her waist and pulled her closer. The kiss quickly went from slow and loving to fast and desperate. Katara could feel the heat go down to her legs as she reluctantly broke the kiss. "Do you want to take this upstairs?"

Aang couldn't help but laugh a little. It seemed like every time they kissed, it would lead to Katara wanting to have some fun. "I don't know Kat…" She kissed him again and rubbed him through his pants, making him moan into her mouth as his erection grew. "Okay," he finally agreed against her lips as she smiled and kissed him again before dragging him up the stairs.

A few hours later, Aang was waiting patiently for Katara to get ready. He had been extra sure to have their reservation be for later to give her enough time to be ready. They had gone on enough dates by now for him to know that Katara took her time when she wanted to look good for him. He was still amazed that he had found a girl like Katara. If someone had told him that he would meet the girl of his dreams, he would laugh in their face and walk away. It seemed almost too good to be true. Finally, after locking herself in the bathroom for two hours, Katara finally came out in an ocean blue dress with her hair cascading down in chocolate curls, making Aang's jaw drop to the ground as she walked down the stairs. "Wow," he breathed as he walked up to her. "You look beautiful."

Katara blushed but smiled happily. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," she replied with a grin as she looked him over.

"Thanks," he grinned back as he offered her his hand. "Shall we?"

She smiled and took it. "We shall." Aang smiled and led the way out of the house, but not without thanking Aunt Wu again for watching Kya while they went out. The nerves he had felt earlier came back as he drove towards the restaurant. Would she say yes? Or would she turn him down and leave him disappointed? Maybe he was going too fast. Maybe he should just wait a few more months to ask. Looking over to see her smiling at him, he shook his head from these thoughts as he smiled back at her. _No, I'm not holding it off any longer. I need to do this._ He took a deep breath and focused on the road for a little while until they finally arrived at the restaurant. By special request, Katara had asked to go to The Waves again. She had liked it, it seemed.

"Wow. This place is busy," Aang laughed as he noticed the nearly full parking lot.

Katara laughed too. "Yeah, it looks like it. Good thing that you already made a reservation, right?" she asked as he looked over at him.

"Yeah, otherwise we might have to wait a year before we could eat here," he joked, making her giggle as he smiled and walked around to help her out of the car. They held hands as they made their way to the podium at the front of the restaurant where, fortunately, Koko was not. A new girl greeted them with a smile as they walked up.

"Hello! Welcome to The Waves! Do you have a reservation?" she asked politely.

Aang nodded with a smile. "Yes we do. It'll be under White."

She looked through the computer system into she found him there when she gasped. "Aang White? The billionaire?"

He just chuckled at the look of surprise on her face. "That's not what most people know me for, but yes, that would be me."

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly as she grabbed some menus. "If you'll just follow me?" Aang nodded and smiled at Katara who smiled back before they were led to a private room in the back that Katara instantly recognized.

"Is this…" she started and looked to Aang for confirmation.

Aang nodded with a smile. "The room we were in on our first date."

She smiled and kissed his cheek before allowing him to pull her chair out for her and pushing her in and taking his seat as well as they looked at their menus.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" the lady politely asked as she looked at them both.

Aang nodded as he looked at his menu. "A glass of merlot, please." She smiled and nodded to him before turning her attention to Katara.

"And for you?"

Katara took a few moments to think about it. They didn't go out a lot, so she wanted to make sure that she knew what kind of wine she wanted. "I'll have a chardonnay, please," she requested politely.

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes with your drinks," the lady smiled before walking out of the room.

Katara looked up from her menu and smiled at him. "At least this lady's not trying to take you from me."

Aang just laughed and went back to his menu. "Please. Even if she was trying to, there wouldn't be any chance of her succeeding. I'm yours for as long as you want me," he told her honestly, making Katara smile happily at him before going back to her menu. After a few minutes, the lady came back with their drinks and quickly took their orders before leaving them alone.

"I forgot how beautiful this room is," Katara thought aloud as she noticed the paintings on the walls around them.

"I can think of something more beautiful," Aang said as he took a sip of wine with a smile, making her laugh and kiss his cheek.

"I'm not as beautiful as these paintings, Aang," she argued as she looked him in the eye.

He stopped for a second and stared at her in disbelief. "Do you really think that?" She nodded slowly, unsure of where he was going with this. He let out a long sigh and took her hand in his and squeezed. "Katara, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Both inside and out. Your beauty is far greater than these paintings," he promised as he kissed her hand, making her blush.

"If you say so," Katara fake sighed, not wanting him to see how happy that made her. He just smiled and kissed her on the lips, enjoying her sweet taste as she kissed him back kiss would have gone longer if the waitress hadn't come back with their drinks, to which they quickly pulled apart as she came back in.

"Here you go!" she said cheerily as she set their drinks down in front of them. "Are you ready to order?" she asked kindly.

Aang nodded and gave her his menu. "I'll take a t-bone steak and a side of mashed potatoes, please," he requested politely. She smiled and nodded before turning her attention to Katara.

"And I'll have an order of shrimp linguini please," Katara ordered politely as she handed her the menu.

"Okay, I'll have these back out for you guys soon!" the waitress told them with a smile before walking out the door.

Aang smiled as he looked over to Katara. "Well at least she's nice," he said as he took her hand and squeezed it. "So how was work today?"

"Oh you know," Katara started with a laugh as she took a sip of her wine. "Same as usual. Doing what I can to keep Toph from falling asleep and helping Miss Agni with whatever she needs. Not a lot changes in the job."

"How is Miss Agni doing?" Aang asked curiously as he reached in his pocket and was reassured that the box was still there.

Katara smiled as she thought about it. "She's doing just fine. I've never had a boss who's so nice and polite before. Most of the bosses I've seen usually don't care and are just trying to get through the day, but she seems to take pride in what she does."

Aang couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yeah, that's probably because she's running a place on her own. Before she opened up her own store, she was married to my best friend's Father and had to do whatever he said. Now she's free to do whatever she wants and takes great pride in the work she does.

"Wow. Well, if I had to pick a boss, then I wouldn't definitely pick her," Katara said after a few moments of silence. "How long have you known her?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Well… she requested to open her store about three years ago, so I guess three years."

"That's cool. It seems like she's got a bit of a crush on you too," Katara chuckled as she remembered Miss Agni speaking… _fondly_ of him.

Aang groaned as he remembered that. "Yeah… don't remind me. She's hinted several times that she was interested, despite being at least ten years older than me."

Katara giggled at the look on his face. "Well hopefully she's backed off since we've been dating."

"Yeah, thank God that she has," Aang laughed as he squeezed the box in his pocket, getting more and more nervous as time passed. Without another word, the waitress came back in with their food and set it down in front of them.

"Here you go! Enjoy!" she said with a polite smile before she walked out. Aang's stomach growled as he looked at the steak in front of him, making Katara laugh.

"Wow. Someone's hungry," she teased as she took a bite of her linguini.

Aang couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. "Yeah, I didn't get to eat lunch today. There was too much work to be done for me to stop to eat."

Katara looked at him curiously. "What case are you working on this time? Or are you still on the one about the guy who broke into a restaurant and stole all the food?"

"No, I finished that one," he assured her with a grin. "And you wanna know who it was?" She nodded with a smile. "Your brother," he joked, making her spit out a little of her pasta as her laugh shook her entire body, making him feel simultaneously guilty and embarrassed that he had said it. After a few minutes, she finally settled down and wiped her mouth with a napkin and fake glared at him.

"You just _had _to do that while I was eating, didn't you?" she sighed in fake annoyance, trying and failing to hide the smile on her face as she wiped off the food that had gone on the table.

He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed his neck. "I didn't think you would react that strongly. Maybe a chuckle at best, but I wasn't expecting you to laugh that hard," he laughed as he grabbed a napkin and reached over to wipe off a spot she missed on her face.

"Well next time at least wait until I'm done eating," she chuckled as she took another bite of her food. "This stuff is so good," she thought aloud as she shoveled in another forkful into her mouth.

Aang grinned and took a bite of his steak. "Good, I"m glad. How can I make it up to you?" he asked seriously, despite knowing she wasn't all that mad.

She thought about it for a moment before she leaned in and whispered in his ear, making him gulp as she placed a soft kiss on his neck, feeling her hot breath send chills down his spine. "What do you think?" she asked as she pulled away and resumed eating as if nothing had happened.

"Um… okay," he said weakly, still left in the daze she had put him in, making her smile as she continued her assault on her plate. Shaking his head quickly, they finished the rest of their meals in a comfortable silence until they were both stuffed, feeling as if they couldn't move for anything. Aang was growing more and more nervous. He knew that she loved him, but she had already been through one failed marriage already. What if she didn't want to get married yet? What if by proposing to her, he scared her off and lost her in the process? What if she decided she didn't want to be with him because of it? Fear and doubt crept into his mind the more he thought about it, but Katara had noticed the look of panic on his face.

"What's wrong, Sweetie?" she asked in concern as she looked him in the eye. "Is everything alright? You look like you've seen a ghost," she said worriedly as she checked his forehead with the back of her hand.

He finally snapped out of his thoughts and quickly shook his head. "I'm fine," he promised as he took a deep breath.

Katara didn't believe him for a second. "Aang, you look like you're about to pass out. Just tell me what's wrong. I want to help you."

"Nothing's wrong," he repeated himself as he looked her in the eyes. "I just had a long day at work is all."

She gave him an "I don't believe you" look. "Aang, that's literally what you said when Ty Lee told you that I didn't actually love you. Please, just tell me what's wrong. I want to help you," she murmured as she took his hand in hers and looked at him worriedly.

Looking into her eyes, he saw only the deepest concern and love in her oceans for eyes and smiled a little, feeling reassured that she would always be there for him. "Well… I-" he attempted to move over to her, but was interrupted as the waitress knocked on the door. Curious, he walked over and opened it to see her smiling at him. "Um, can I help you with something?" he asked in confusion, wondering what she wanted.

"Oh no, it's not for me," she assured him as she looked behind her and back to him. "There's a man here who says that he knows Katara and asked if he could see her."

Still confused, Aang simply shrugged with a nod. "Okay… but tell him to make it quick. I've got something I need to do," he whispered to her so Katara wouldn't hear. She nodded and went to go get the man. Shaking his head, he walked back over to the table and sat down as Katara looked at him curiously.

"What's going on?" she wondered as she looked at him.

He shrugged with a sigh. "No idea. Apparently some guy claiming to know you asked if he could see you for a second."

Katara's brow furrowed in confusion. "It couldn't be Sokka or my father, could it? They would have called if they were coming to see me. I wonder who it is," she thought aloud as she looked up as if she was trying to search her brain. A few moments later, the man finally walked into the room as Katara gasped, making Aang look at her curiously.

"What's wrong, Kat?" he asked as he looked over to the stranger. He had light brown skin with dark brown hair in a tux for some reason. Standing up quickly, he looked at the man seriously as he had noticed the rage and hurt in Katara's eyes. "Who are you?" he questioned seriously.

"Hello Jet," Katara said coldly as she glared at him, making Aang gasp in surprise as he looked back at her before turning back to Jet with an equal glare.

"You should leave," Aang suggested in a way that clearly was not open to interpretation. "Now."

Jet shook his head quickly. "I need to talk to her." He turned to look at Katara. "Can I talk to you for a moment in private, please?" he almost begged.

Katara kept her glare on him. "If you've got something to say, you can say it in front of me and my boyfriend. Go ahead," she responded icily, her glare not failing for a second.

He didn't look too happy about that, but he knew that this was the only way he could say what was on his mind. "Okay," he agreed before taking a deep breath and turning his whole body to face her. He attempted to walk up to her, but Aang stood in his way.

"I don't think so," Aang growled as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You can say what you want to say from a distance."

Katara stopped glaring at Jet and stood up and took Aang's hand. "It's fine, Sweetie. Just let him say what he wants to say." Aang nodded reluctantly and was silent, waiting for Jet to speak.

After a few moments of pure silence, Jet finally looked up into Katara's eyes. "Katara, I am _so_ sorry for what I did to you. I never should have done that. I was just so scared at the idea of being a father, that I didn't know what to do… and…"

"Cut the crap, Jet," Katara growled as she didn't believe him for a second. "I know that you cheated on me while we were married. And if that wasn't bad enough, you kicked your pregnant wife out on the streets to fend for herself. I had to spend a _year_ out on my own, begging for money, trying to find warm shelter, and trying to make sure that _your_ daughter stayed alive. Something that you should have been doing. No. While I was suffering, you were sleeping with other women and having the time of your life. And now you think that'll I'll just take you back?" she asked in disbelief.

"But I still love you," Jet argued with sad eyes.

"You never loved me, Jet," she responded angrily as she squeezed Aang's hand tightly, making him wince a little. "Don't even try to pull that on me. I know that the only reason you were with me was because you wanted to have sex with me, and I wouldn't do it until we were married."

Jet's face grew even more sad. "Kat, I-"

"Save it!" Katara's voice was dangerously close to yelling. "Even if you hadn't kicked me out, I never would have been truly happy. Aang here," she raised their joined hands. "Has been the most amazing boyfriend to me ever! He took me in when you left me to fend for myself and has made me happier than I've ever been! I love him so much, I don't know what I would do without him. Even if I did still have feelings for you, which I don't," she made sure he knew, making his face drop even more. "There's no way I would pick you over him. We're done, Jet. Now get out of here! I don't ever want to see you here again."

Jet didn't say anything for a moment until he sighed in defeat. "Fine." He turned to Aang. "Have fun fucking this whore, loser." Jet attempted to walk away, but Aang dropped Katara's hand and quickly turned him around. "What do you want now-" but was cut off by a punch to the face, causing a few customers who had been walking by to gasp and run to get someone. Jet fell quickly to the ground and clung onto his face, feeling the waves of pain roll off of him as he struggled to regain his bearings.

Aang knelt down over him and gave him another punch, and another and another until Katara finally snapped out of her shock and pulled him back. "Sweetie! Stop it!"

"He deserves it!" Aang told her while struggling to get back over to Jet who was groaning in pain.

"I know, but you can't do this, Aang. This isn't you," she replied as she finally managed to yank him away. They both were breathing heavily as they looked down at Jet.

"You're right," he admitted with a sigh as he looked at her. "I'm sorry."

Katara smiled and kissed his cheek. "It's okay, Aang. I think it's sweet that you care for me that much, but the Aang I know wouldn't do that. Please, just calm down." He nodded slowly with a sigh as a security guard walked in and seized Aang.

"Come on, you're getting out of here," he said Aang resisted. The owner, having heard all of the commotion finally walked in and looked around, noticing Aang there.

"Let him go, Tom," he sighed as he took the situation in. "I know this man. He wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for a good reason." Tom nodded and let go of Aang before looking to his boss for further orders. "Go back to your position. I'll make sure this gets settled."

"Yes Mr. Kuruk," Tom nodded before walking out, leaving the four alone. Kuruk turned to Aang with a sigh.

"What exactly is going on here?" he asked seriously as he looked at Aang. "You're not a bully, so I know that you must have a reason as to why this man got a beating."

Katara spoke up for him. "It's a long story, sir, but this is my ex-husband who abandoned me when I was pregnant. He came back here to try to win me back and called me a whore, and Aang defended me," she explained quickly.

Understanding flooded over Kuruk. "Ah, I see. Well then…" he trailed off before walking over to Jet and giving him a good punch to the jaw making him groan in even more pain. "There, that should be good then." He turned back to them. "Are we done here?" They both nodded. "Good. Carry on with your night. And try not to make any more of a ruckus, will you?" he called over his shoulder as he walked out the door.

Though that part was over, Aang wasn't finished yet. Walking over to Jet, he forced him to his feet and pushed him against the wall, staring deeply into his eyes and was slightly gratified to see the fear there. "Look here, Jet. Those punches were for kicking your wife out and leaving her to fend for herself with a child growing in her." He paused and looked down to take a deep breath before looking back up. "But in a way, I also have to thank you," he admitted, taking Jet by surprise. "If you hadn't done that, I wouldn't have gotten to be with the most amazing woman in the world. You have no idea what you've lost, pal. Now, I'm not one for making threats, but I'm serious about this. If you ever try to see her again or contact her, I will find you, and I will make you wish that you were dead. Am I clear?" Jet nodded slowly, still wincing from the pain all over his face. "Good. Now get out of here." He let Jet go who didn't hesitate and ran out the door, leaving Aang and Katara in silence as all that happened finally hit them. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Katara with sad eyes. "Kat… I'm so sorry. I understand if you want to-" he was cut off as she walked over and kissed him passionately, making him kiss her back with just as much vigor.

After a couple minutes, she reluctantly pulled away and smiled at him. "That was amazing, Aang. Thank you for standing up for me." She paused as she looked him in the eye. "I love you so much."

He smiled and kissed her tenderly. "I love you too." He looked around and sighed a little from having his plans be wrecked when an idea came to mind. "How about we pay the bill and get out of here? I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough drama for a while."

"Okay," she agreed with a quick kiss before she allowed him to pay the bill and walked out to the car and drove in the opposite direction the house was. "Where are we going?" she asked curiously as she looked at him.

"We're going to a park," he replied simply, making her more curious, but she decided she would just wait and see what would happen. They finally arrived at the park as she gasped at how beautiful it looked in the light of the moon. "Come on. I want to show you my favorite part," he told her as he offered his hand which she took with a smile. Making their way to a bridge over a pond, they walked until they were at the center of the bridge.

"It's beautiful," Katara breathed as she looked down and noticed Koi fish in the pond.

He looked at her in the light and smiled. "Yeah, it really is." Now was the time. No more hesitation. No more fear. One question. One life-changing question, but that was all he had to do and hope for the best. Taking a deep breath, he started, "Hey Kat?"

She turned to look at him with a smile. "Yeah, Sweetie?"

With one final deep breath, he slowly got down on one knee and pulled out the box, making her gasp as she covered her mouth with tears streaming from her eyes. "Kat, I love you so much. I know that we've only been together for about six months now, but I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Opening the box, he revealed a sapphire ring with the largest diamond Katara had ever seen, making her gasp even louder. "I am madly and deeply in love with you." Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them to look up into her eyes. "Katara Aqua, will you make me the luckiest man alive by becoming my wife?"

She didn't hesitate to smash her lips to his, making him laugh in relief as she kissed him hungrily. After a few minutes, the need for air became too great and they reluctantly pulled apart. "Of course I will, Aang," she said with a large smile on her face. "I would love to be your wife."

Aang beamed and kissed her again before taking Katara's hand and sliding on the ring, watching her admire it in the glow of the moon. "You don't know how happy you've made me, Kat," he whispered in her ear as he hugged her tightly.

Katara just smiled and squeezed him back. "Oh, I think I have an idea." They both smiled and went back to kissing, not wanting to ever forget this moment. Unfortunately for them, her brother had always had a knack for ruining the important moments of Katara's life, and this was no exception as her phone started ringing. Groaning slightly against his lips, she reluctantly pulled away answered the phone with an angry huff. "What do you want, Sokka?" she menaced.

"Jeez sis, I was just calling to check up on how you're doing," Sokka responded defensively. "Why are you being angry right now, anyway? I doubt that I'm interrupting anything important."

Katara rolled her eyes at her brother. "Sokka, Aang just proposed to me."

Sokka was dead silent as the truth of that sank in. "Oh…"

"Yeah…" Katara agreed, still waiting for him to say what he wanted to say.

After a few more moments of shock, Sokka finally said, "Okay. Well sorry for interrupting and I'm going to go. Talk to you later sis." He hung up without another word, making her laugh at her brother's stupidity before she turned back to Aang.

"Sorry about that," she apologized sheepishly. "My brother always had the worst timing _ever_."

Aang just laughed and pulled her close. "It's alright. I know Sokka's a… _special_ kinda guy, so I'm honestly not surprised that he managed to do that."

"Yeah, me neither," she agreed before wrapping her arms around his neck. "So, where were we?"

He smiled and wrapped his around her waist. "I'd say we were about… right here," he replied before leaning down and capturing her lips, making her sigh in content as he pulled her as close as possible. Katara couldn't be happier. She had a great job, a great place to live, some friends, an amazing daughter, and now an amazing fiance. If she had to die today, she would die content. After a few more minutes, they reluctantly broke apart and smiled at each other. "How about we go home so we can check on Kya?"

Katara smiled warmly at him. "Okay. Whatever you want, my fiance," she said with a huge smile on her face. He laughed and kissed her again before taking her hand and leading the way to his car and drove home. As they walked in, they saw Aunt Wu cradling Kya in her arms.

"Hush little darling, don't say a word," she cooed to Kya. "Auntie's going to buy you a hummingbird." She stopped singing when she heard footsteps and noticed Aang and Katara come in. "Ah, how did it go?" she asked excitedly as she stood up with Kya still in her arms.

Aang smiled widely. "She said 'yes'," he told her as Katara showed off her ring with an even bigger smile.

Aunt Wu gasped as she stared at the ring before looking back up to Aang. "Congratulations, dearie. You've landed yourself a nice young lady. I think you two will be very happy together."

Aang smiled as he looked at Katara. "Yeah, I think we will too." Katara walked over and took Kya from Aunt Wu and quickly brought her upstairs while Aunt Wu put on her jacket. "Thank you for watching her, Aunt Wu. I really appreciate it."

She just smiled and waved him off. "It's no problem at all, dearie. I wish I could stay longer, but there are people who need their fortunes told! Have a good night, Mr. White," she told him before walking out the door and closing it, leaving him in silence before he decided to go upstairs and check on Katara who was putting Kya into her cradle. Smiling at the sight of his fiance and her daughter, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arounds around her waist.

"You're a great mother, you know," he murmured into her ear, making her shiver a little.

"Thanks," she smiled as she turned to look up at him. "And you're a great father to her too." He smiled back and leaned in for a kiss to which she returned happily. Before too long, the kiss became heated and Katara pulled away to look at him with need in her eyes. "Do you think we could take this to your room?" He nodded and she dragged him quickly out of the room, ready to become one for the night.


	8. Chapter 8: What Love has Conquered

Chapter 8: What Love has Conquered

**Hey guys! I just wanted to say real quick that this is the last chapter of the story. I'm sorry if you were expecting more, but after their marriage and a glimpse into their future, that's pretty much where I saw it ending, and that's what it will be. I also just want to say thanks to those of you who have been keeping up with this story and that I'm glad that you have been enjoying it. I've enjoyed writing it very much and am glad to have gotten the chance to write it. Anyway, thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy the last chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

Nine months later, it was the day Katara had been not-so-patiently waiting for. The day that she once swore would never happen again. The day that she would give herself away to someone, to put herself out on the line, leaving herself vulnerable as she once feared. But there was no fear today. All that was in her mind and heart was excitement, a bit of impatience, and love as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"You look beautiful," Hakoda murmured as he walked up to her. She couldn't help but smile at the situation she found herself in. The last time she had gotten married, her father and her were fighting and had ended with them being apart. Now she was getting married and there was no arguing. Just as it should be.

"Thanks dad," she turned around to look at him. "I'm really glad you're here."

He smiled and gave her a hug which she returned happily. "I'm happy I'm here too, sweetheart," he whispered before they remained silent, not wanting to ruin the moment. It didn't last long, however, due to none other than Sokka coming in and ruining the moment.

"Come on sis," Sokka groaned. "You've been taking forever. It's just a wedding." They both looked at him incredulously. "What?" he asked in confusion as he looked between them.

Katara rolled her eyes with a sigh as she turned back to the mirror. "Sokka, marriage isn't something light. I want to savor every moment."

Before Sokka could say a word, Yue came in and hit Sokka on the shoulder, making him yelp a little as he rubbed it. "What was that for?" he complained.

"_That_ was for being insensitive," she informed him before turning her eye to Katara. "You look so beautiful, Kat. Aang's a lucky guy."

Katara smiled and hugged her. "Thank Yue. That means a lot coming from you."

"Hey, what about me?" Toph complained as she walked in wearing a dress that Katara more or less had to force her to wear. "I'm your best friend, too!"

Katara just laughed and pulled her into the hug. "There, is that better?" she asked curiously.

Toph snorted and blew hair out of her eyes before she finally returned the hug. "It'll do I guess," she muttered, making Katara and Yue laugh before they pulled away.

"So how's Aang doing? Is there any chance I…" Katara tried to ask, but Sokka shut her down before she could even finish the thought.

"No way," he refused with a serious look. "You know tradition. Unfortunately for you, you're not allowed to see each other until the ceremony."

Katara let out a disappointed sigh and nodded slowly. "Fine," she grumbled before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Hakoda smiled down at her as he enjoyed her anticipation to see her future husband. "You'll be just fine, Katara. I understand what you're going through, though. That's exactly how I felt when I married your mother." He paused and sighed wistfully, thinking of his lost love. "But just be patient for a little longer, and you'll be able to see him for the rest of your life," he promised with a grin.

"Okay…" Katara agreed reluctantly before she turned back to the mirror. "What do you think, Toph?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Um… you look good?" Toph asked more than answered. "You really shouldn't be asking me questions like that, Sugar Queen. You've known me long enough to know that."

Katara rolled her eyes as she looked back to the mirror. "I know, but it still doesn't hurt to get a second opinion."

"You could've asked me," Sokka interjected with an annoyed look on his face.

Toph snorted loudly, making everyone else but Sokka laugh. "You, Meathead? What do you know about clothes?"

Sokka was about to argue, but Yue stopped him before he could go on. "Okay, how about we go get a snack before the wedding?" she suggested as she pulled him out of the room, making everyone else laugh after they were gone.

"Thank God that Yue's smart," Hakoda chuckled before checking the time. "Oh! It looks like it's about that time." He turned to Katara with a smile. "Are you ready?"

Taking one last look in the mirror, she took a deep breath and nodded with a smile. "Yeah… I am," she said excitedly, making Hakoda smile as they walked out of the room and made their way to the end of the walkway where Hakoda would take her down. Making sure that Katara wouldn't sneak a peek, he walked over to the organ player and whispered for her to start. The music started playing loudly as Katara waited anxiously, wanting badly to get it started as quickly as possible, but she managed to hold herself back. Hakoda finally returned to her and offered his arm which she took with a smile. "It's not too late to back out now, you know," he told her as they made their way to the door.

Katara shook her head with a wide smile as she looked at Aang who was tearing up at how beautiful she looked. "No way," she whispered back with her smile intact. Hakoda smiled again and led the way until they finally reached the altar where Aang's smile hadn't dropped.

As he finally let go of Katara, he leaned into Aang and whispered, "Take good care of her. She means everything to me."

"Don't worry sir," Aang whispered back with a smile. "I'll do everything I can to make her happy. She means everything to me, too." Hakoda smiled at his answer and nodded before going to take his seat in the front row next to his son. "You look beautiful," he whispered to Katara who blushed and smiled happily.

The minister smiled warmly at them as they stared into each others eyes and joined hands before he addressed the people in the crowd. "Thank you all for coming to the ceremony. We are truly blessed to have you here and invite you to join us at the banquet hall for the wedding reception, which will have steak," he jokingly enticed them, making them all laugh before he grew serious again. "Today we are here to join two souls into one. From what I've heard of them from their friends and family, it sounds like a match made in heaven. Here are a few verses I believe suit them well." He paused and flipped open his book before turning to the correct pages. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs." He paused and turned to another page. "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." He closed the book and set it down on the podium in front of him before turning to the happy couple. "I assume you have the rings?"

Katara nodded with a smile and watched as Kya came down with Ty Lee holding one hand with the rings on a pillow in her other. Zuko leaned into Aang's ear and whispered, "I'm proud of you, buddy."

Aang smiled and nodded before returning his attention to the ring bearer who had finally reached the altar, offering the rings to them with a smile. "Thank you, honey," Katara smiled warmly at her before they each took a ring and Ty Lee led the way back to their seats.

"Good," the minister smiled before returning his attention to them. "Do you have your vows prepared?" he asked Aang who nodded with a smile.

"Yes," he said while taking out a piece of paper and opening it before crumpling it and putting it back into his pocket, making Katara confused before he continued. "Katara, my time with you has been… the best of my life," he said with a huge smile on his face. "Before I met you, I felt like I was just wandering around aimlessly. Like I was asleep until I saw your face. When I first got to know you… something in me just… woke up," he laughed a little as she felt tears starting to prick at her eyes. "My whole life, I've been trying to find something to make me feel like I wasn't just trying to get by, but I never got that feeling until I met you." He paused and looked deeply into her eyes as tears started streaming down her face. He laughed a little and reached out to wipe her face before he caressed her cheek. "You mean _everything_ to me, and I don't know what I would do without you. I promise to love you and treat you as you deserve to be treated for the rest of my life. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you have the best life and that you will always know that you are loved. Nothing in this world will ever tear me away from you. I'll be your shoulder to cry on when you're sad, and I'll be the punching bag to hit when you're mad," he joked, making her laugh as more tears flowed. "I promise to be here for you through everything, and that my love for you will never die."

The minister nodded with a smile and turned to Katara who wiped more tears from her eyes. "And your vows?" he asked gently before she nodded and smiled at Aang.

"Aang… ever since you've come into my life, I've never been happier," she said through her tears as she tried in vain to wipe them away. "When we first met, I was so mean to you, but you took me in anyway. Before I met you, I swore that I would never let myself fall in love again, but when I saw your face… something in me just… clicked back into place. I started feeling more like myself as I started to get to know you more and you brought me back to who I used to be." She smiled warmly at him as she wiped more tears away. "Look what you've done to me. You've turned me into a crybaby," she joked, making him laugh as tears started to prick at his eyes. "But I can't ever thank you enough for what you've done for me. I love you so much, I would rather die than live without you." She took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I promise to always be there for you when you need me. To be the wife you deserve and to be the shoulder to cry on when you're sad. I'll be the one who calms you down when you're mad, and I'll nr here for you through everything, and that my love for you will last for all eternity." Tears flowed down Aang's face as he quickly wiped them away and put the rings one each other's hands.

Sokka turned to Yue with a smile. "That could be me and you one day," he whispered.

Yue rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the smile off her face. "One thing at a time, Mister. Let's just see where it goes." He just smiled and took her hand in his, squeezing it as she rested her head on his shoulder.

The minister smiled at them both and looked to Aang. "Do you, Aang White, take Katara Aqua to have and to hold, in sickness or in health, through bad times and good times until death do you part?"

"I do," Aang said with a wide smile as Katara smiled back.

He smiled and turned back to Katara. "And do you, Katara Aqua, take Aang White to have and to hold, in sickness or in health, through the bad times and the good times until death do you part?"

Katara didn't hesitate as her smile widened to the point to where her face started to hurt. "I do," she whispered with more tears in her eyes.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife." He looked to Aang with a smile. "You may now kiss the bride." Aang didn't hesitate and captured his wife's lips with his, both smiling happily as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The crowd roared in approval before they finally stopped kissing and smiled at them as they Aang called out to them.

"Thank you all for coming!" he yelled over the noise until they finally quieted down. "You are all welcome to join us in the banquet hall for food and drinks! And it's free!" he joked, earning a laugh from the crowd before they walked down and made their way to the banquet hall where everything was set up. Aang squeezed Katara's hand as he led the way to the head table where all of their family and closest friends took their seats. The room was alive with chatter as waiters served the guests their meals and refilled their drinks. Sokka, being ever the one to interrupt a moment, stood up and took everyone's attention as Katara groaned and covered her eyes, waiting worriedly for her brother to say something stupid.

Sokka looked around at the crowd and smiled at them. "Can I have your attention, please?" he shouted over the noise before there was silence as everyone's eyes were on him. "Thank you," he said gratefully before turning his attention to Aang and Katara. "I just wanted to say that… I couldn't be happier for these two," he admitted, making Katara's eyes widen in surprise. She hadn't expected him to be serious. "I have to admit, when I first met Aang, I thought he was just trying to get into her pants."

Katara groaned and thumped her head. "Really, Sokka?" she muttered to herself as Aang gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"But I was wrong," Sokka continued as he noticed Katara's embarrassment. "Aang truly loves her, and she loves him. Over the time I've know Aang, I can honestly say that I don't think there could be anyone more perfect for her than him." He turned his attention from the crowd to the newly weds. "Sis and bro I guess," he laughed, making the crowd laugh with him before he became serious again. "I am so happy for you guys and I hope that you have a long and happy life together." He raised his glass in the air. "To Katara and Aang!" he cheered.

"To Katara and Aang!" they cheered in response before taking a sip and returning to their conversations. Sokka sat down and looked at Katara who was looking at him in surprise. "What?" he asked curiously.

She finally snapped out of her daze and smiled at him. "Nothing. I was just surprised that you managed to make a serious toast. Though I could have done without you telling them you thought Aang was just trying to get in my pants," she monotoned at him with a roll of her eyes.

He just shrugged simply. "What can I say? I was just trying to be honest," he told her before a plate of food was set in front of him. "Yes!" he cheered with a pump of his fist before he dug into it.

Katara just rolled her eyes again and smiled at Aang who was attempting and failing to cut his steak with a plastic knife. There had not been enough for everyone there, so he volunteered to use plastic for his cutlery, but it wasn't turning out in his favor as he had hoped it would. Katara giggled and handed him the knife. "Here Sweetie, you'll probably need this."

He just laughed and took it with a smile. "Thank you, my wife," he said with a big smile on his face.

"You're welcome, my husband," she replied with just as big of a smile before she turned her attention to her family. Everything was perfect for Katara at the moment. She and her family had been reunited, she had a great job that she loved, and most of all she now had an amazing husband who she knew would always love her no matter what. It couldn't get any better than this. As she watched her family, she sighed in content, wondering what her future held for them.

* * *

_Ten years later…_

Katara laughed as she watched her son try to get his toy back from his sister. "Give it back, Kya!" Bumi complained as he attempted to take his toy back, but Kya, who had at least six inches on him still, wasn't going to have it.

"I don't think so, Bumi!" she laughed as she held the toy higher to ensure Bumi wouldn't be able to get it. "This is what you get for breaking my doll."

Bumi sighed and rolled his eyes. "It was an accident, Kya. It's not like I did it on purpose," he whined.

Kya just shrugged and kept the toy up in the air. "It doesn't matter if it was an accident or not. You still broke my toy, so you're not going to get yours back for a while."

"Moooommm," Bumi whined as her an over to Katara who was watching them with an amused look."Kya won't give me back my toy!"

Katara just chuckled and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Boom Boom. If you want your toy, you'll have to get it yourself."

He let out a defeated sigh and sat down on the couch. "Fine," he grumbled while crossing his arms over his chest. Kya smirked and finally decided he had enough.

"Okay, you can have your toy back," she told him with a grin as she handed it to him.

Bumi smiled widely and hugged her, making her laugh as she patted him on the back. "Thank you, sis!"

"Don't mention it," Kya laughed before turning her attention to Katara. "When are Uncle Sokka and Aunt Yue going to get here?"

"They'll be here soon," Katara promised as she put up some streamers across the entry to the living room. "You know they wouldn't miss your birthday."

Kya sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know, but Uncle Sokka isn't exactly the most responsible person ever. He always makes them be late."

Katara couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips as she finished with the streamers. "Yeah, you're right about that," she agreed before turning around to look at her. "They'll be here, but I wouldn't expect them to be on time. Why do you want them here so badly, anyway?" she asked curiously.

"Because they're bringing me presents," Kya said as if it was obvious.

"Of course," Katara snickered as she walked out of the room and came back with a few presents in her hands, making Kya gasp as she set it down on the table. "Can I open it now?" she asked excitedly.

Katara shook her head quickly, making Kya frown in disappointment. "Sorry honey, but you've got to wait until everyone's here."

Bumi looked up from his toy that he had been playing with. "Who else is coming?" he asked curiously.

She thought about it for a moment. "Grandpa is coming, Aunty Ty Lee and Aunty Toph are coming… and I think that's it."

"What about Uncle Zuko and Aunt Jin?" Bumi questioned.

Katara picked him up in her arms and brought him over to the kitchen where she gave him a cookie, making him smile widely as he ate it. "They unfortunately weren't able to make it," she told him apologetically, making him sigh in disappointment before he perked up again when she placed another cookie in front of him.

"Okay!" he said cheerily before he ate the second one. Katara laughed at how easily bought he was and heard the door open. "Hello?" a voice called out from the front. Smiling widely, she quickly walked until she was face to face with her husband who smiled at seeing her.

"How was your day Sweetie?" he asked as he walked up to her. She responded by yanking him into a kiss, taking him by surprise until he kissed her back, making Bumi and Kya groan as they watched them kiss.

"Can you guys _not_ do that?" Kya almost begged, making Katara and Aang chuckle.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Aang apologized as he walked over and kissed her head. "But mommy and I can't help ourselves. You'll understand someday when you have your own husband."

Kya rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever." She hugged him tightly. "I missed you, dad."

He laughed and hugged her back. "I missed you too, but I was gone for eight hours. And most of that was while you were in school."

"I know, but still," she smiled as she squeezed him tighter. "Can't I miss my dad?"

Guilt ate at him for not telling her, and by the look on Katara's face, she could see what he was feeling. "Yeah, of course," he replied slowly before he kissed her head again and looked to both of the kids. "Hey, do you guys mind if I talk to your mommy for a second?"

Kya gave him a weird look, but she shrugged and took Bumi's hand. "Come on, Bumi! We'll go look at the cake again." They ran out of the room as Aang turned to Katara.

"Are we going to tell her at some point?" he asked seriously as he took her hand in his. "It's not fair for her to think that I'm her actual father."

Katara sighed and shook her head. "Aang, I don't care who her biological father is. Just because she's not your blood doesn't mean that she's not your daughter. You've earned every right to be her actual father, and I will _not_ tell her about Jet."

Aang was still unsure. "But what if she figures it out eventually? Wouldn't it be easier if she knew?"

"No, Aang. If she knew who her biological father was, she would only get depressed and feel abandoned," Katara whispered back seriously. "All I want is to look to the future and forget about my past." She paused and caressed his cheek with her hand. "_You _are her father, and no one else. Okay?" He still didn't look sure, so she gave him a kiss and he gave in with a sigh.

"Okay…" he agreed reluctantly. "If you really think it's the right thing to do, then I'm with you."

Katara smiled and squeezed his hand. "Come on. Let's just make sure that everything's set up for the party." He nodded and allowed her to pull him away so they could check up on everything.

* * *

Half an hour later, everyone managed to show up on time. Even Sokka who had been extra careful to show up on time due to Katara calling him and threatening to remove his manhood. The thought made Katara laugh as she looked at her friends and family around her, making her feel content as she watched them. She snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed Sokka looking at her questioningly. "What's up, Sokka?" she asked in slight annoyance.

"I just asked you how old Kya is today," he responded with a roll of his eyes. "But you didn't answer me."

Katara blushed in embarrassment and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. She's twelve today."

"Yep!" Kya said excitedly as she walked up and took a look at the presents on the table for her. "Can we open presents now?"

"Kya," Katara sighed in exasperation, but she knew that her daughter would just keep asking, so she finally relented. "Okay everybody! I guess it's present time!"

Kya smiled widely and sat down next to Katara on the floor, waiting patiently for her to hand her her presents. The first present was from Sokka and Yue. She opened it quickly to reveal a new doll that Kya had been wanting. "Thank you!" she ran up and hugged them, making them chuckle as she ran back and resumed her seat.

Katara was impressed. She hadn't thought her brother could actually listen to her, but here was proof that he could. Then again, Yue was likely the one who had bought it, so she ruled out that possibility with a chuckle as she handed Kya the next one. "This one's from Aunt Ty Lee," she told her with a smile as she handed it to her. Kya took it with a smile and opened it to reveal a tea set, making her smile widely as she looked to Ty Lee. "Thank you, Aunt Ty Lee!" she said excitedly before going up and giving her a hug. Ty Lee smiled and hugged her back before Kya went back to her seat.

"I think you'll like mine, kid," Toph grinned as she kicked her feet up on the table with her hands behind her head. Kya got her present out and opened it to find a taser, making her squeal in delight as Katara glared at Toph. "Now you can taser your brother," she joked.

"Thank you Aunt Toph!" she yelled loudly as she tackled her in a hug, making Toph awkwardly pat her on the back.

"You're welcome kiddo," she grinned before Kya went back to her seat and waited for Aang and Katara to give her a present.

Aang decided to go first and handed her his gift. "I hope you like it," he told her with a smile as she took it and opened it quickly, gasping as she opened the box to find a diamond necklace inside.

"I love it!" she squealed and tackled him in a hug, making him laugh as he hugged her back. "Thank you, daddy!"

He smiled as he heard her call him that. Even if he wasn't her biological father, he would always be there for her, and he finally allowed himself to accept that just because she wasn't actually his didn't mean that he wasn't her father. He would always love her as if she was his own, and he would always be there for her. "You're welcome, sweetheart," he murmured as he hugged her back. She smiled and squeezed him tighter before letting go and turning to her mother.

"This is from Grandpa and I," Katara told her as she handed the present to Kya who took it eagerly. Without another word, Kya ripped it open and smiled widely as she saw a collage of photos from her early childhood.

"Wow," she breathed as she perused it. She noticed a picture of her grandfather and gasped as she looked at him. "You look so young in this," she told him, not realizing how offensive that sounded.

He just laughed good naturedly as he looked at her. "Yeah, I guess I did." Katara patted him on the back and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. You still look good for your age," she assured him. He just laughed again and watched as Kya flipped through until she reached the final page where the whole family was together before returning her attention to Katara.

"I love it!" she cheered while giving her mom a hug. "Thank you, mommy," she whispered without breaking from the hug. Katara smiled and hugged her back before letting her go and allowing her to gather her presents. "Thank you, everyone!"

There were murmurs of "You're welcome" and "No problem, kid" throughout the room as Katara smiled and stood up. "Come on. It's cake time!"

"Alright!" Sokka cheered as they all laughed and made their way to the kitchen where the cake was set up and ready to go. Aang quickly lit the candles and they all stood in a circle around the table with Kya right in front of the cake.

"On three!" Aang grinned as he finished lighting the last one. "One, two, three! Happy Birthday to you…" They continued singing as Katara smiled at the sight around her. Although everything wasn't as she imagined it would be, she was perfectly content with her life, and would be forever grateful for all that she had. As Kya blew out the candles, they all cheered and Katara walked over to Aang and let him wrap his arms around her. "I love you," he whispered in her ear. She smiled and leaned into him as Sokka started cutting the cake.

"I love you too," she whispered back before they shared a kiss and got some cake. Though her life had had it's bleak moments, she was more than happy and grateful that she got the chance to have her new beginning, and would never forget it for the rest of her life.


End file.
